NFL linebacker Barkevious Mingo was let go by the Atlanta Falcons after being arrested in Texas on a charge of indecency with a child-sexu...
NFL linebacker Barkevious Mingo was let go by the Atlanta Falcons after being arrested in Texas on a charge of indecency with a child-sexual contact.
Mingo, 30, was arrested on Thursday by police in the Dallas suburb of Arlington.
He faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted.
Arlington Police said in a statement that the agency could provide no further information about the investigation, citing 'the nature of the charges and age of the victim.'
'Mingo turned himself in on his own accord in consultation with his attorney,' police said.
Mingo was released after posting a $25,000 bond.
The Falcons - who signed Mingo in March - terminated his one-year contract hours after the news of his arrest broke.
'After being made aware today of allegations involving Barkevious Mingo and gathering information on the matter, the Atlanta Falcons have terminated his contract,' a post on the team's website states.
In a Twitter statement on Saturday evening, Mingo's attorney Lukas Garcia called the allegations against his client 'completely baseless'.
'Barkevious Mingo is innocent,' Garcia declared in a statement obtained by NFL insider Ian Rapoport. 'At this stage, our side has very limited information. What we do know is these allegations are from over two years ago and are completely untrue.'
Mingo signed a one-year contract with the Falcons in March. He is seen playing for the Chicago Bears in November of last year
Garcia added: 'Mr. Mingo is the victim of a false claim, and we believe this is motivated by money or some other ulterior motive. We are confident when the truth comes to light, my client will be fully exonerated.'
The attorney did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Saturday.
Jail records listed an address for Mingo in West Monroe, Louisiana.
Mingo was chosen by Cleveland as the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft after earning second-team All-SEC honors with the LSU Tigers.
During his NFL career Mingo also has played for Chicago, Houston, Seattle and New England - where he won a Super Bowl title in 2017.
The Falcons released an initial statement addressing Mingo's arrest earlier on Saturday.
'Our organization became aware of the allegations involving Barkevious Mingo today and are currently gathering information on this incident,' the statement read.
'The Falcons take the allegations very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.'
Mingo was chosen by Cleveland as the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft after earning second-team All-SEC honors with the LSU Tigers. He is pictured playing for the Bears
The case against Mingo was announced a day after fellow NFL player Frank Clark - a defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs, was arrested after being caught with an Uzi assault rifle in his Lamborghini when he was pulled over by police in Los Angeles.
Clark was charged in Los Angeles County with felony possession of an assault weapon on Friday, and faces up to three years in prison over the discovery of the submachine gun inside his supercar.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark was charged in Los Angeles Friday with felony possession of an assault weapon
He was also caught with an Uzi in his supercar earlier this month, and was pulled over with two guns in his car in March.
Clark has been freed on $35,000 bail following the latest incident. The Kansas City Chiefs have yet to comment on the incident.
Clark was previously arrested on March 13 after a traffic stop when officers found a firearm and two loaded guns in the car after pulling his car for not displaying a front license plate as required by state law.
The March arrest came just months before a federal judge overturned a California ban on assault weapons on June 4, claiming the ban violated the Second Amendment's constitutional right to bear arms.
However, assault weapons still remain illegal to buy and own in California while the state works to appeal the decision - meaning Clark was also charged over Friday's stop.
The charge on Friday is unrelated to another very similar case against Clark. That saw him arrested on June 20 in Los Angeles over claims an Uzi sticking out of a duffel bag from inside his Lamborghini after his car was stopped by police.
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