Phoenix: Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer has been officially charged in connection with a domestic dispute inside an Phoenix apartment in which his girlfriend suffered a broken nose.
Prosecutors charged Dwyer with felony aggravated assault and eight misdemeanours including assault and disorderly conduct, the Arizona Republic newspaper reported Monday.
Dwyer was arrested on September 17, almost two months after the alleged July 21 assault took place. Police said a male headbutted his girlfriend in the apartment after she refused his sexual advances and bit his lip.
Four of the counts against Dwyer were related to disorderly conduct, while the other four misdemeanours were the result of Dwyer’s alleged behaviour in the days after the incident.
Dwyer is in his fifth NFL season. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals in March.
Dwyer’s arrest follows high-profile legal cases involving NFL players Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy.
Baltimore Ravens star running back Rice has been banned indefinitely from the league after punching his fiancee in February.
Carolina player Hardy is appealing a conviction for assaulting a former girlfriend, and Peterson is charged with child abuse for administering a whipping to his young son, a charge that he denies amounted to abuse.
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald is also accused of striking his pregnant girlfriend.
