What did Damien Wilson do? Panthers LB arrested for issuing death threats to ex-girlfriend
Damien Wilson, a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, was taken into custody in Frisco, Texas, after his ex-girlfriend alleged he threatened to kill her, per The Dallas Morning News.
In an email to the newspaper, Frisco Texas Police Sgt. Stephen Byrom noted that the 28-year-old linebacker faces a criminal charge of assault with bodily injury to a family member.
Wilson's lawyer, Toby Shook, dismissed the allegations, telling The Dallas Morning News:
"Damien Wilson did not commit any type of assault. We look forward to all the facts coming out so his name can be cleared."
ICYMI, newly acquired Panthers LB Damien Wilson arrested last wk in TX after ex-girlfriend said he threatened to kill her w/ a tire iron, per @michaeldamianw.
Wilson also accused of damaging her patio, destroying her laptop, trying to run over her w/ his car & choking her friend.
Byrom said he had no information on whether the linebacker had bonded out.
A spokesperson for the Panthers told The Dallas Morning News that the team was fully aware of the linebacker’s arrest but offered no further comment.
Ryan Sokolosky, the former girlfriend of the Carolina linebacker, told The Dallas Morning News that after she ended the relationship with Wilson, he arrived intoxicated at her apartment and made threats to kill her with a tire iron.
Sokolosky alleged that the linebacker demolished her laptop by wrapping it in a blanket and throwing it hard to the ground, telling her it was her cat. She said that Wilson also attempted to run her over before driving off from the apartment.
Sokolosky gave consent for her name to be used. She stated that she received a protective order against Wilson. She told The Dallas Morning News that Wilson thinks he’ll get away with everything:
"He thinks all of it's a joke because he's rich and thinks he's going to get out of everything.”
In 2017, the linebacker was accused of wielding a rifle and making threats against tailgaters outside a soccer location. He was taken into custody on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A grand jury declined to move forward with charges against him
Damien Wilson and his NFL career
Wilson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent the first four seasons of his career.
The linebacker then spent the next two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, winning a Super Bowl with the team in the 2019 season.
Damien Wilson spent the first four of his seven NFL seasons in Dallas. He since spent two years with Chiefs, where he won a Super Bowl, and last year in Jacksonville before joining the Panthers last month.
He signed with the Panthers this offseason after playing the 2021 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.