Arizona Cardinals backup running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested in connection with domestic abuse allegations, Phoenix police said Wednesday night.
The Cardinals deactivated Dwyer after news of the arrest, according to a news release from the team.
The announcement from the Phoenix Police Department said two incidents allegedly occurred on consecutive days in late July. They were reported last week.
Detectives interviewed Dwyer and he “admitted to the incidents, however, denied any physical assaults,” the police statement said.
Police said he was booked on one count of aggravated assault causing a fracture, one count of aggravated assault involving a minor, two counts of criminal damage, one count of preventing the use of a phone in an emergency, and assault.
The two victims were a 27-year-old woman and an 18-month-old child, police said.
Dwyer is being held at the Maricopa County Jail.
The Cardinals said they became aware of the allegations when contacted by police.
Dwyer, 25, is the fourth NFL player to be in the headlines this week. Two other players, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings and Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers, took paid leave from their teams to focus on their legal cases.
Peterson has been charged in Texas with child abuse. Hardy has been convicted of misdemeanor assault charges in North Carolina and has been granted the opportunity to have a new trial, this time in front of a jury.
And running back Ray Rice has an appeal with the NFL in connection with his indefinite suspension after a domestic violence incident.
Dwyer is listed as the No. 2 running back for the Cardinals behind Andre Ellington. He is in his fifth NFL season and first with the Cardinals.
Dwyer has 51 yards on 16 carries in two games this year.
Up and Coming Tech: Switch your business over to the cloud and not have to worry about maintaining old hardware anymore. Get a comparison quote today from one of the leading credit card processors.