EAGAN, Minn. — In a release sent out Monday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings announced that they have released 24-year-old cornerback Jeff Gladney after a grand jury indictment on a felony domestic violence charge in Texas.
The former 2020 first-round pick out of TCU was accused of striking his then-girlfriend back in April. According to the arrest affidavit, it started as a verbal argument while the two were in a vehicle over text messages on his phone. It later escalated to the point of physical violence where the victim was struck on the head with a closed fist and open hand. The victim also described later being punched in the stomach, ribs and back along with being dragged across the ground, according to the arrest affidavit. Detectives also were able to document the bruises on the accuser's body as well.
The case was stuck in legal limbo for a while, only being heard in front of a grand jury on July 29th, which is why the indictment arrived only now.
His ex-girlfriend also filed a civil lawsuit in the past week accusing him of trying to bribe her into silence with a $1,000 necklace and a spa gift certificate.
In the lawsuit, it states that "On July 25, 2021, Defendant showed up at Plaintiff’s home, uninvited, and forced Plaintiff, against her will, to delete threads of text messages and screenshots of text messages."
The lawsuit accuses Gladney of assault, battery, false imprisonment, and spoliation of evidence and is seeking at least $1 million in damages and adds to the growing list of legal issues that is facing Gladney.
Gladney started 15 games for the Vikings as a rookie last season. Since the incident, Gladney has not taken part in workouts or training camp with the team.
