Lions release Terrion Arnold after court hearing

Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News on Jun 29, 2026

Published in Football

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ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions released former first-round draft pick Terrion Arnold after the cornerback appeared in a pretrial detention hearing on Monday in Hillsborough County Circuit Court.

Arnold, 23, is alleged by prosecutors to be one of the main organizers of an armed robbery and kidnapping that took place in Tampa, Fla., in February. Arnold faces three counts of armed robbery, three counts of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and one count of conspiracy to kidnap. The charges are punishable by up to life in prison.

Arnold, who has denied all charges, is one of seven co-defendants in the case. He is the only co-defendant who has been granted bond. On Monday, Judge Christopher Sabella denied the state's motion for pretrial detention, setting Arnold's bond at $1 million. The decision would have allowed the Lions defender to return to practice, had he not been released by the team on Monday.

"What distinguishes Mr. Arnold from those other six (co-defendants) is he has no hands on, he never goes into the apartment, there’s nothing on his phone, his social media, his texts,” Sabella said.

Though Judge Sabella said that there is probable cause Arnold committed the crimes he is charged with, he said Monday that sufficient evidence "just isn't there at this point" to hold Arnold without bond.

Arnold was arrested Wednesday night after voluntarily turning himself in.

During Monday's three-hour hearing, Tampa police detective Scott Barnett accused Arnold of masterminding a scheme to lure three men into an apartment, where they were allegedly attacked, beaten and pistol-whipped during threats to return stolen property. The incident was alleged to be in retaliation for a pair of thefts that occurred at Arnold's rental home in Largo, Fla. Prosecutors have found no evidence that the victims were involved in the initial theft.

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