Former Seahawk Tarvaris Jackson arrested after allegedly pulling gun on woman
Jun 24, 2016, 3:21 PM | Updated: 7:10 pm
(Osceola Co. Sheriff's Office)
Former Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who is unsigned after spending the last three seasons as the team’s backup, was arrested and jailed in Florida early Friday morning following a domestic dispute in which he allegedly pulled a loaded gun on a female companion and threatened to kill her.
According to the arrest report obtained by 710Sports.com from the Osceola Co. Sheriff’s Office, Jackson was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/without intent to kill, which is a third-degree felony under Florida law.
Reports have identified the woman as Jackson’s wife, but the arrest report redacts her name and does not specify the relationship between the two.
According to the report, Jackson and the woman were on vacation at a resort in Kissimmee, just south of Orlando. The woman said that Jackson was intoxicated early Friday morning when the two began to argue at their rental. She said that at one point during the altercation, Jackson pointed his loaded gun at her and said, “I’ll kill you, bi—. I’ll kill you.”
According to the report, three children were in bed at the time of the incident.
According to the report, the woman said that Jackson can become violent when he drinks and that he has hit her in the past. She said that because of that, she went downstairs after their altercation began, grabbed a kitchen knife and sat down.
According to the woman, the rest of the incident went as follows: When Jackson came downstairs, she put the knife down and headed back upstairs. Jackson grabbed his gun, loaded it and pointed it at her while threatening to kill her. Jackson ran after her when she fled into a bedroom, and his friend intervened by grabbing him. Jackson again pointed the gun at her, telling her he’d kill her if she threw an iron. The woman put the iron down, shut the door and called police, stating she feared for her life.
According to the report, a 9mm handgun was found on the kitchen counter along with what the officer believed to be cannabis. Jackson initially told police that there was no gun in the house before changing his story once he was arrested. He then said he had grabbed a bag containing his gun because the woman was holding a knife. According to the report, “Tarvaris stated he never withdrew his firearm from the bag, but that he did say that he should shoot her to which (the woman) replied, you better be accurate because you ain’t accurate on the field.”
Jackson was booked into Osceola Co. jail without incident, according to the report.
Jackson, 33, spent four seasons with the Seahawks, serving as their starter in 2011 and their backup since 2013. His contract expired at the end of last season and he has not been re-signed, which has left undrafted rookie Trevone Boykin and former Skyline High School star Jake Heaps as the two quarterbacks on Seattle’s roster behind starter Russell Wilson.
It was believed that the Seahawks had not ruled out bringing Jackson back, but this incident will almost certainly end that possibility. That increases the likelihood of Boykin securing the backup job.