Ravens WR Rashod Bateman speaks for first time since news of arrest

Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun on Sep 9, 2026

Published in Football

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BALTIMORE — Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman spoke for the first time Wednesday since news broke last month of his arrest earlier this summer on a family violence battery charge involving the mother of his child.

“There’s only so much I can say right now,” Bateman said. “It’s a legal situation. I’m looking forward to just playing football.”

Bateman, 26, is facing three charges stemming from the alleged June 3 incident, including family violence battery, reckless conduct and first-degree criminal damage to property. The family violence battery charge is a misdemeanor.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a text message to The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday that the matter remains under review under the league’s personal conduct policy.

The Ravens previously said they were aware of the situation and were cooperating with the league and its investigation. General manager Eric DeCosta said last week that the situation was something the team was “very disappointed” about and called it a “distraction.”

In late August, the mother of Bateman’s child recanted her original statement to police that Bateman pushed her into a wall and put his hands on her during a dispute at the couple’s Georgia home that led to his arrest.

Bateman could still face disciplinary action from the league, however.

Under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, a first-time offense involving assault, battery, domestic violence or other forms of family violence carries a baseline six-game suspension without pay, though the league can increase or decrease the punishment based on the circumstances. The policy also lists the presence of a young child as an aggravating factor the league can consider.

Bateman also allegedly used a screwdriver to smash the windshield and driver’s-side window of the victim’s 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB after agreeing to meet her at a nearby pizza restaurant shortly after the initial alleged incident. According to police, the victim suffered small lacerations to her face from the broken glass. Their 3-month-old daughter was in a car seat in the rear driver’s-side seat, and the warrant states that glass was found in the child’s hair.

An official court date has not been publicly listed in online court records.

Bateman, a 2021 first-round draft pick who signed a three-year, $36.75 million extension in 2025 but is coming off a down season, has continued practicing since news of the alleged incident broke. He is also expected to play Sunday in Indianapolis when the Ravens open their season against the Colts.

Should he be suspended, the Ravens’ receiving corps would be stretched thin.

The only other receivers on the roster are two-time Pro Bowl selection Zay Flowers, rookies Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt, underwhelming third-year receiver Devontez Walker and punt returner LaJohntay Wester.

“We just have to wait and see what happens,” DeCosta said.