Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper and girlfriend arrested on domestic violence charges
Published in Football
DENVER — Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper and his girlfriend were each arrested late Thursday night on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
Cooper, 28, was arrested by Parker police at 11:16 p.m. and booked into Douglas County Jail at 2:38 a.m., according to jail records. Cooper’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, told The Denver Post that Cooper has obtained a personal recognizance bond, which enabled his release from custody without paying immediate bail.
Cooper appeared Friday morning in the 23rd Judicial District Court for a first appearance. He is due back in that court Monday morning for a disposition hearing. Bail information for Cooper’s girlfriend — who The Post is declining to name — is not currently available.
“We are aware of the matter and are gathering more information,” the Broncos said in a statement provided to The Post.
According to the arrest affidavit, a peace officer with the Parker Police Department responded to a “domestic incident” between Cooper and his girlfriend in Parker at 8:42 p.m. Thursday. Cooper’s girlfriend confronted Cooper with allegations he was cheating on her, the affidavit reads.
Cooper’s girlfriend said she took his phone from him, threw it across the room, then went to pick it up and look through its contents.
Cooper wanted his phone back and, according to the affidavit, Cooper told police he grabbed his girlfriend by her upper arms and was able to get the phone back.
After the woman again tried to take his phone, Cooper told police he “braced his neck against her neck” to prevent her from getting it, the affidavit reads. After eventually retrieving his phone, Cooper told his girlfriend that he would break her phone if she didn’t leave his apartment, he told police.
When Cooper’s girlfriend still did not leave, the Broncos outside linebacker bit her phone, causing “disabling damage,” the affidavit reads.
“As of this report, there is no probable cause for harassment or assault charges given conflicting statements and lack of specific physical evidence,” the Parker peace officer wrote in the report.
Just hours earlier, the five-year NFL veteran was in a helmet and gear for the Broncos’ third practice of OTAs Thursday, although he didn’t participate in any 11-on-11 team drills.
Cooper was drafted by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 2021 draft and has become one of the team’s core players. He signed a four-year contract extension worth $54 million in November of 2024, recording a career-best 10.5 sacks that season and eight sacks in 2025.
“I’m still young in this league,” Cooper told reporters in late January, two days after the Broncos’ season ended with an AFC championship loss to the Patriots. “And I still have a lot of opportunity to grow, and become an even better player. And that’s the whole focus in the offseason.”
As of Friday afternoon, Cooper has only been officially charged with a Class 2 misdemeanor for criminal mischief. His attorney, Steinberg, is well-known in Colorado for high-profile defense work, including representing former Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy in a 2022 criminal case.
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