The Washington Football Team has continued to find itself on the wrong side of the news all off-season. And on Friday it continued. Earlier that day running back Derrius Guice was arrested on domestic violence-related charges. Later that same day the team released Guice.
Derrius Guice Released by Washington Football Team
The charges against Guice are one count of strangulation (a felony), three counts of assault and battery and one count of destruction of property. Shortly after 5 PM on Friday Guice turned himself in at the Loudoun Adult Detention Center.
Officials have stated that the three alleged assaults, which took place on Feb. 14, Mar. 13 and April 17, all happened at Guice’s home in Ashburn, Virginia.
Later Friday the team released a statement saying:
“On Thursday we learned of a potential domestic violence-related incident involving running back Derrius Guice.”
“We immediately alerted the National Football League and have continued to work with them during this process.”
“We then met with Derrius to inform him that he was excused from all team activity pending a review of the matter.”
“This afternoon we learned that there were multiple charges filed against Derrius.”
“Upon review of the nature of these charges and following internal discussions, we have decided to release Derrius immediately.”
Guice has hired Peter D. Greenspun, an attorney in Northern Virginia. Some famous (or infamous) clients of Greenspun include Marv Albert (sodomy charges in 1997) and D.C sniper John Allen Muhammad in his capital murder trial.
Guice was selected by Washington in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft and then tore his ACL in the team’s first preseason game that year. Once he recovered from that injury he then tore his meniscus in the 2019 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and missed the following eight games.
Under the circumstances, the team has done the right thing by releasing Guice. But given the negative press they have experienced this off-season (name change and an article that exposed a toxic work environment that allowed and enabled sexual abuse and harassment), the team did not really have a choice.
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