ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper pleaded not guilty Monday in a Douglas County courtroom to charges stemming from altercations with his now-ex-girlfriend in June. A jury trial has been scheduled to begin on Nov. 10.
Cooper was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list Sunday, meaning he’ll continue to get paid for the time being and will be allowed inside the team’s training facility but cannot practice with the team or play in any games.
“It’s part of the process,” general manager George Paton said in a conference call Sunday night after the team’s 53-man roster was set. “We continue to take this very seriously. We’re going to continue to monitor all the legal developments and continue to support Jonathon. Jonathon’s worked very hard to better himself and it’ll be good to have him in the building, be in meetings and just be a part of the team.”
Cooper was allowed to participate in training camp and on Friday was one of the Broncos’ captains in their preseason finale, a 34-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The league is investigating Cooper’s situation and the sixth-year pro could face a lengthy suspension under the NFL’s domestic violence policy. Any games he misses while on the exempt list would count toward his suspension, but he would also have to repay the money he earned while on the exempt list.
Cooper, who has started 52 consecutive games for the Broncos, is a key member of a defense that has led the league in sacks each of the past two seasons. He was told to stay away from the Broncos’ mandatory minicamp in June following his second arrest in a week’s span.
Cooper, 28, was arrested on June 4 following an argument and physical confrontation with his then-girlfriend that eventually resulted in a felony assault charge of strangulation. He was arrested again a week later after allegedly violating a protection order by trying to contact the woman, according to the arrest affidavit.
The Broncos decided not to release Cooper, who’s due $12 million this season. He was allowed to participate in training camp after attending an inpatient clinic near Vail for more than a month.
Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman are set to expand their workload in Cooper’s absence.
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