Turmoil-racked Raiders release 2020 first-round pick who made death threats in video
The Las Vegas Raiders released second-year cornerback Damon Arnette on Monday following the emergence of video on social media that showed him making death threats while brandishing a firearm.
Arnette was drafted 19th overall in 2020 as the second of the Raiders’ first-round picks that year. With the first of those picks, at No. 12, they drafted wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, who was released by the team last week after he was charged with driving under the influence and causing a crash that killed a woman and her dog in Las Vegas. Ruggs, who police said was driving at 156 mph early Tuesday morning just before he struck the woman’s car from behind, is facing multiple felony charges and potentially decades in jail if convicted.
Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock told reporters of parting ways with Ruggs and Arnette in a span of a week, saying: “Am I sick to my stomach right now on a lot of levels? Yes.”
Mayock described the release of Arnette, a standout at Ohio State who struggled to get on the field and make an impact with Las Vegas, as “a very painful decision.”
“We spent significant time, effort and resources trying to help him in all facets of his life,” said Mayock, who joined the Raiders in December 2018 after spending more than two decades as a TV analyst. “There have been a series of bad decisions over the last year or so, but we can’t stand — we cannot stand — for the video of Damon with a gun threatening to take a life. The content was unacceptable.
“It’s contrary to our values. And our owner, Mark Davis, has been very clear and very consistent that this is not how we will conduct ourselves in this community. The bottom line is the Raiders will not tolerate this type of behavior.”
Before the video surfaced, Arnette had been served with lawsuits related to multiple incidents, including an alleged hit-and-run last year near the Raiders’ practice facility in Henderson, Nev. A lawyer for Arnette reportedly stated that the cornerback denies the allegations. The lawyer also recently filed a counter lawsuit related to a Las Vegas casino valet’s allegations of abusive behavior by Arnette earlier this year.
In the run-up to the 2020 draft, Arnette was thought by some analysts to be a character risk who didn’t project as an elite prospect, and the Raiders surprised many by selecting him with such a high pick.
“There was significant concern, and most of the teams around the league were very aware of it,” Mayock said Monday. “We spent an awful lot of time trying to understand his behavior.”
“At the time we thought it was an acceptable risk,” he added, “and obviously it’s painful at all levels.”
The video and Arnette’s subsequent release represent the latest episode of off-field turbulence for the Raiders, who were rocked last month by the resignation of coach Jon Gruden. After having been given a mammoth contract in 2018 to shape the team’s direction, Gruden stepped down in October following the revelation of racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments he had made in emails over a number of previous years.
Ruggs’s release occurred as the Raiders were coming out of their bye week and preparing to try continuing an unexpectedly strong start that had them at 5-2. They went on to make a number of mistakes in a loss Sunday at the New York Giants (3-6).
“We didn’t see any issues with their emotions, or any issues with their resilience, or any issues with their effort or attitude or their poise or the way in which they represented their team today,” interim coach Rich Bisaccia said after Sunday’s defeat. “I thought that was all good.”
“It’s just a tragedy; it was very sad,” Las Vegas wide receiver Hunter Renfrow said Sunday of the fatal crash. “You know, it was a tough week. But we’ve got to come out and play better than we did. And I think as we go forward it’s going to make us tighter. A lot of adversity this season, but I think just getting better every day is going to be the key to it.”
Arnette, who suffered a number of injuries as a Raider, was not as important to the team’s on-field fortunes as Ruggs, whose rare speed challenged opposing secondaries. For Mayock and other front-office executives, Arnette’s release cements their 2020 draft as nothing short of a disaster.
Of the Raiders’ top five picks that year, including three in the third round in addition to Ruggs and Arnette, just one is still with the team. That player, wide receiver Bryan Edwards, has shown talent and has gotten plenty of playing time this year but has yet to blossom into a consistent offensive force. Of the other two third-rounders, wide receiver Lynn Bowden didn’t even make it to the 2020 regular season before he was surprisingly traded to the Miami Dolphins, while safety Tanner Muse sat out his rookie year with a toe injury and then was cut shortly before the start of the 2021 season.
“I understand the perception from the outside looking in, because of this past week, and I get it,” said Mayock, who was hired by Gruden. “I understand it. But we couldn’t feel further than that perception. We think the truth is we’ve got a good young core.”
