Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper pleaded not guilty to a felony assault charge tied to his June domestic violence case during an arraignment Tuesday in Douglas County District Court.
Cooper did not address the court, according to a report from Katie Langford and Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post. He stood alongside his attorney, Harvey Steinberg, who pushed for the case to move quickly because of its “very negative impact on my client’s ability to make a living.”
“We would like to resolve this quickly,” he told District Court Judge Daniel Warhola.
The trial is now scheduled for Nov. 10, 12 and 13.
The charge stems from two arrests on June 5 and June 12 after an argument with his now former girlfriend that led to a felony assault allegation involving strangulation, according to court records and arrest affidavits. A week later, he was arrested again for violating a protection order after sending her 20 unreturned messages, some of them graphic, and knocking on her apartment door for “5-10 minutes,” according to a separate affidavit.
Through the process, the Broncos have kept Cooper in the fold. Instead of being released, he spent more than a month at an inpatient clinic near Vail before reporting with the rest of the team’s veterans for training camp on July 29.
He is due back in court on Sept. 14.
His football situation is just as unsettled. Cooper was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list yesterday as roster cutdowns were made, leaving him on paid leave. He can still attend meetings, but he cannot practice or play.
“It’s part of the process,” Broncos general manager George Paton said Sunday evening after the team’s initial roster was set. “We continue to take this very seriously. We’re going to monitor all the legal developments and continue to support Jonathon.
“Jonathon’s worked very hard to better himself and it’ll be good to have him in the building, be in meetings and just be a part of the team.”
The NFL generally waits to finish its disciplinary process until the legal case is resolved, though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted there are exceptions and that in some cases the league treats paid leave as an advanced suspension. The Broncos open their season on Monday, Sept. 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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