Former NFL defensive end and ESPN/Fox employee Marcellus Wiley has addressed the allegation of domestic battery that resulted in his arrest on July 4.
Wiley posted a statement on Twitter denying the accusation.
“I completely and unequivocally deny these allegations, and I’m certain the truth will prevail,” Wiley said. “As you know, I’m usually the first to break down the truth and separate facts from fiction. But because this is now a legal matter — and because my greatest responsibility is protecting my babies, who have already been impacted — I have to handle this differently. When I can speak freely, I absolutely will. Until then, thank you for your patience, your prayers, and for continuing to stand with me.”
Wiley’s wife claims that, on July 3, he “used one finger to sternly and intentionally poke her in the cheek.” She also claimed he threatened to kill her.
Wiley denied the allegation when interviewed by deputies. He was released from custody on $1,000 cash bond on Sunday night.
A second-round pick of the Bills in 1997, Wiley spent a decade in the NFL. He played for the Bills, Chargers, Cowboys, and Jaguars.
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On Sunday morning, TMZ reported that former NFL defensive end and ESPN and Fox employee Marcellus Wiley was arrested on July 4 for alleged domestic battery.
Per the Public Information Office of the Orange County (Florida) Corrections Department, Wiley was released from custody at 8:43 p.m. ET on Sunday, after posting a cash bond of $1,000.
PFT has obtained the Arrest Affidavit, which reveals that deputies responded to the World Marriott in Orlando on July 4 at 4:47 p.m. ET.
The alleged victim is Wiley’s wife. She asked deputies to “remove her husband from their shared hotel room due to her being afraid of him.” She said that Wiley “told [her] he was going to kill her and [she] was afraid of his behavior.”
Asked to elaborate, she said “on the previous morning Marcellus had put his hands on her,” by using “one finger to sternly and intentionally poke her in the cheek,” and that their seven-year-old daughter witnessed the incident. (Their daughter told deputies she did not see Marcellus touch her mother but did hear them arguing.)
The deputy who prepared the affidavit noticed no “visible injuries” and Wiley’s wife did not request medical attention.
Wiley’s wife said that Wiley “had an unreported history of violence toward her and she was planning to divorce him when they returned home to California.”
When interviewed by deputies, Wiley denied any physical altercation with his wife. He said he believes she made the report “due to her intention to divorce him.”
The deputies concluded that Wiley “did intentionally touch [his wife] against her will,” and that probable cause exists to charge [Wiley] with battery (domestic violence).”
The law regarding criminal battery is very broad. Florida law, like the law of many states, provides that "[t]he offense of battery occurs when a person . . . [a]ctually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other.”
Wiley spent 10 years in the NFL, playing for the Bills, Chargers, Cowboys, and Jaguars. He worked for ESPN through 2018, and he then worked at Fox Sports until 2022.
The Jaguars don’t have a lot of salary cap space heading into the 2026 season, and veteran defensive lineman has a $14 million base salary, none of which is guaranteed. That led to plenty of speculation that Armstead would get cut.
But it didn’t happen. Armstead was on the practice field for the Jaguars’ June minicamp, but he told Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that he was well aware that plenty of people thought he’d be gone from Jacksonville by now.
“That’s the nature of the business,” Armstead said. “It’s impossible to ignore the chatter. Everyone has social media and there is no ignoring anything and even if you’re not on social media, somebody will tell you about it or ask you about it.”
Arsmstead was playing through a hand injury that affected him late last season, but he still turned in a good year, and the Jaguars believe he’s going to be a big part of their defense in 2026. Armstead says he’s ready.
“My focus is being my best self and the best player I can be. That’s all I can control,” Armstead said.
The part Armstead couldn’t control — whether the Jaguars would cut him — worked itself out.
When we last mentioned Marcellus Wiley, he was angrily denying allegations of sexual assault, given the potential impact it will have when his son Googles his name.
Via TMZ, Wiley has been arrested for alleged domestic battery in Florida. Per the report, Wiley was booked into the Orange County jail on July 4.
He was still in custody when the TMZ item was posted at 8:58 a.m. ET on Sunday. Records show, per the report, that Wiley is being held for now without bond.
Details regarding the incident that led to the arrest are not yet available.
Obviously, Wiley is innocent until proven guilty. He’s entitled to all of the various Constitutional protections. Regardless, something happened to result in his arrest. He’ll surely have a response to the charge — unless his lawyer tells him to say nothing about it.
Wiley spent 10 years in the NFL, playing for the Bills, Chargers, Cowboys, and Jaguars. He worked for ESPN through 2018, and he then worked at Fox Sports until 2022.
At a time when Commanders fans wonder whether Brandon Aiyuk will ever arrive, it’s important not to forget about a receiver who’s back for a second bite at the apple.
Dyami Brown, after a season in Jacksonville, has returned to Washington for a second stint.
Via Tony Adams of Heavy.com, a workout video posted by Brown on Friday makes a bold declaration.
“That’s for the old me,” Brown says at the end of the session after taking a swig of hydration. “And the old me gets a drink of water. The new me gonna make it rain. Watch.”
Brown entered the league with promise as a 2021 third-round pick from North Carolina (back when, before its current coach, UNC produced draftable talent). But the production never matched the potential.
As a rookie, Brown had 165 receiving yards on 12 catches in 15 games. In Year 2, he also appeared in 15 games. The good news is that he had an eye-popping 28.3 yards per catch. The bad news is that he had only five catches, for 143 yards.
In 2023, Brown had 12 catches in 17 games, for 168 yards. He performed better in his contract year, relatively speaking. But, still, 30 catches for 308 yards won’t make demand spike on the open market.
But then came the 2024 postseason, and a different Dyami Brown emerged. In the wild-card win over the Buccaneers, he had five catches on five targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. In the divisional upset win over the Lions, eight targets, six catches, 98 yards. Another 42 yards against the Eagles in the NFC Championship slaughter gave Brown 229 receiving yards for the three-game postseason — more yards than any of his first three full seasons.
Brown landed in Jacksonville, where coach Liam Coen said Brown would have a bigger role. It didn’t happen; 14 games, six starts, 37 targets, 20 catches, 227 yards, one touchdown. And five drops, matching his total from four years in Washington.
In the offseason, Brown signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal to return to the Commanders. And, especially without Aiyuk, the door is open for Brown to contribute.
Currently, there are no big names beyond Terry McLaurin on the depth chart. Treylon Burks is expected to be a starter, as is third-round rookie Antonio Williams. Brown is projected for now to be a second-string option.
If he truly is a “new me,” Brown should be able to get on the field, and to get some targets. By the end of quarterback Jayden Daniels’s rookie season, they had chemistry. If, as it appears, the chemistry experiment between Daniels and Aiyuk has gone the way of Peter Brady’s volcano, Brown’s sixth NFL season has a chance to be his best.
Former NFL linebacker Keith Mitchell has died, Texas A&M athletics announced on Thursday. Mitchell was 51.
His cause of death is unknown.
The Saints signed Mitchell as an undrafted free agent in 1997, and he played five seasons in New Orleans. In 2000, Mitchell earned Pro Bowl honors.
He played with the Texans in 2002 and was with the Jaguars in 2003 before his retirement.
Mitchell totaled 408 tackles and 19.5 sacks in 94 career games.
He was inducted into the A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 after a four-year career that saw him earn All-Southwest Conference honors in 1995 and an All-Big 12 nod in 1996. He made 34 career sacks for the Aggies, including 14.5 during his senior season.
The Jaguars have announced a pair of promotions on their coaching staff.
Shane Waldron has been elevated to assistant head coach/pass game coordinator while Heath Farwell is now associate head coach/special teams coordinator.
“These elevations for Shane and Heath are certainly well earned, as both were instrumental upon our arrival last year, but more than that, they will be key figures in the coming years as we push to establish a sustainable winning culture here in Jacksonville,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said in a statement released by the team. “Shane and Heath are both well-established, elite football minds and have my complete trust. I am grateful to have them with me and to be able to lean on their expertise and leadership moving forward.”
Waldron joined Jacksonville’s staff last year when Coen was hired. He previously was the Bears’ offensive coordinator in 2025 before being dismissed midseason. He spent 2021-2023 as Seattle’s offensive coordinator after a long stint with the Rams, which saw him coach alongside Coen.
Farwell has served as Jacksonville’s special teams coordinator since 2022, having been hired by former head coach Doug Pederson. He was previously Buffalo’s special teams coordinator from 2018-2021.
The Jaguars will hold their first practice of training camp on July 29 and that will also be the first of their summer sessions open to the general public.
Nine practices in total will be open to all fans. The other practices in that group will be held on July 30, August 2-3, August 7, August 9, August 19, August 23, and August 25.
The August 19 practice will be a joint workout with the Panthers while fans in attendance on August 25 will get to see the Jags practice with the Buccaneers.
In addition to the nine practices open to the general public, the Jaguars will also have a practice for season ticket holders on July 31.
The Jaguars will be keeping tight end Brenton Strange through what they expect to be the prime years of his career.
Strange and the Jaguars have agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to Strange’s agents. Strange, a second-round draft pick in 2023, had one year remaining on his rookie deal.
Although Strange missed five games last season with a hip injury, he still finished the year with career highs of 46 catches, 540 receiving yards, 11.7 yards per catch and three touchdowns.
Reports out of the Jaguars’ offseason practices indicated that Strange may get an increased role in the passing game this season, including lining up for more snaps at wide receiver in addition to his usual workload at tight end.
The offseason programs around the league have largely wrapped up for 2026, with players and coaches around the league now experiencing some time off.
But training camps are just a few weeks away from opening.
The NFL announced the camp report dates for all 32 teams on Monday, with the first ones opening up in less than a month.
Below are the camp locations and report dates:
Arizona Cardinals: State Farm Stadium | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans 7/22
Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta Falcons Training Facility | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Baltimore Ravens: Under Armour Performance Center | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Buffalo Bills: St. John Fisher University | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Carolina Panthers: Bank of America Stadium | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/22
Chicago Bears: Halas Hall | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cincinnati Bengals: Paycor Stadium | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cleveland Browns: CrossCountry Mortgage Campus | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Dallas Cowboys: Marriott Residence Inn Oxnard | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Denver Broncos: Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans: 7/28
Detroit Lions: Meijer Performance Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Green Bay Packers: Lambeau Field | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Houston Texans: Houston Methodist Training Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Indianapolis Colts: Grand Park | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Jacksonville Jaguars: Miller Electric Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Kansas City Chiefs: Missouri Western State University | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Las Vegas Raiders: Intermountain Health Performance Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Chargers: The Bolt | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Rams: Loyola Marymount University | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/25
Miami Dolphins: Baptist Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Minnesota Vikings: TCO Performance Center | Rookies: 7/26 | Veterans: 7/28
New England Patriots: New Balance Athletics Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/24
New Orleans Saints: Ochsner Sports Performance Center | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Giants: Quest Diagnostics Training Center/The Greenbrier | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Jets: Athletic Health Jets Training Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Philadelphia Eagles: Jefferson Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Pittsburgh Steelers: Saint Vincent College | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
San Francisco 49ers: SAP Performance Facility | Rookies: 7/18 | Veterans: 7/25
Seattle Seahawks: Virginia Mason Athletic Center | Rookies: 7/17 | Veterans: 7/24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: AdventHealth Training Center | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Tennessee Titans: Vanderbilt Health Football Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Washington Commanders: Commanders Park | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
