Arizona Cardinal Jonathan Dwyer charged in domestic abuse case

Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer faces a slew of charges after he allegedly assaulted his wife during two separate incidents in July.

Dwyer was charged Friday by the Maricopa County district attorney with felony aggravated assault and eight misdemeanors, including assault, criminal damage, disorderly conduct and preventing phone usage during an emergency, according to the indictment.

Dwyer was arrested Sept. 17 for two alleged incidents that involved Kayla Dwyer, 27, at their home, according to officials. Dwyer allegedly fractured at least one of Kayla’s bones during one of the assaults, officials said.

Dwyer’s arrest is the latest in a string of bad news for the NFL as it continues to try to climb out of the shadow of the Ray Rice domestic abuse controversy.

The league and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, have been heavily criticized for not only the way the Rice case was initially handled, but for what many have called lenient punishment for other domestic violence cases in the past.

Dwyer was immediately deactivated from all team activities by the Cardinals, an announcement that came just minutes before a news conference at which officials discussed the specifics of the July assaults.

Calls to the Cardinals for additional comment were not returned.

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