Chad Wheeler charged with 1st-degree domestic violence assault, waived by Seahawks
Jan 27, 2021, 11:23 AM | Updated: 7:55 pm
Chad Wheeler, who played for the Seahawks in 2020, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence last weekend. (Getty)
(Getty)
Chad Wheeler, an offensive tackle who played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2020, was charged Wednesday with first-degree domestic violence assault four days after he was arrested in Kent.
Wheeler was additionally charged with domestic violence unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest by King County Prosecutors. Wheeler is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 9. The first-degree domestic violence assault charge is a Class A felony in Washington. The domestic violence unlawful imprisonment charge is a Class C felony.
Prosecutors also asked a judge to require Wheeler be placed on electronic home detention, and wear an ankle monitoring device be equipped with GPS monitoring.
Wheeler, 27, is accused of assaulting his girlfriend at his residence in Kent on Saturday. He was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence and booked in King County Jail, then appeared in King County District Court on Monday, where his bail was set at $400,000. He was then released on bond.
Though Wheeler was set to become a free agent at the end of the NFL’s league year in March, he was waived by the Seahawks on Wednesday.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweeted earlier Wednesday that a source told him the Seahawks will not bring him back. He added that the NFL has said it is reviewing the alleged incident under its personal conduct policy,
The Seahawks also released a statement through their PR team’s Twitter account on Wednesday, condemning the alleged act of domestic violence.
“The Seahawks are saddened by the details emerging against Chad Wheeler and strongly condemn this act of domestic violence. Our thoughts and support are with the victim. Chad is a free agent and no longer with the team,” the statement reads.
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) January 27, 2021
Some Seahawks players took to their Twitter accounts Wednesday to speak out against domestic violence, including Bobby Wagner and DK Metcalf, after more details of the alleged incident involving Wheeler emerged.
Domestic violence has absolutely no place in our society, and we all have to do a better job of speaking about it. If you or someone you know needs help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is accessible at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or https://t.co/LwqjaEv2qa
— DK Metcalf (@dkm14) January 28, 2021
The case against Wheeler includes startling details and an alleged photograph of his girlfriend after the alleged incident. According to Condotta’s story, Kent Police responded to a call Saturday of a woman who was locked into a bathroom after a physical fight with her boyfriend. Per the Kent Police report, Wheeler strangled the victim, who lost consciousness, and after she regained consciousness Wheeler said, “Wow you’re alive?”
Wheeler appeared in five games for the Seahawks in 2020. He initially joined the team in 2019 and previously played 27 games for the New York Giants in 2017 and 2018.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
