ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos excused outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper from their mandatory minicamp this week after he was arrested twice in a seven-day span on multiple domestic violence charges, including one felony.
"He's taking this time, obviously, he's got to work on himself,'' Broncos coach Sean Payton said after Tuesday's practice. "The club is very much in tuned to the league office, local authorities here, and we've had several meetings. Clearly from an ownership standpoint, head coach, organizationally, there's a bar that we have, and an expectation that we have, that's very high. We'll consider all of that as we continue to gather the information ... we're continuing to go through that process, and we take it very seriously.''
The 28-year-old Cooper, who practiced during the team's OTAs the previous two weeks, was first arrested June 4 by police in Parker, Colorado, after an argument and confrontation with his girlfriend. He faced multiple charges from that arrest, one of which was upgraded to felony second-degree assault Wednesday. Cooper was arrested again Thursday on multiple charges that included harassment.
Cooper appeared in Douglas County (Colorado) Court on Friday and was released on a personal recognizance bond and ordered to abide by a strict "no contact'' protection order. He also must have prior court approval for any travel outside of Colorado.
On Tuesday, the Broncos opened their mandatory minicamp, the only offseason activity players can be fined for missing. It is scheduled to run through Thursday to close their offseason program.
Cooper's long-term future with the team remains a question. The Broncos will open training camp in the last week of July. Cooper is scheduled for motions hearings on July 6 and July 14 (one for each arrest), with a jury trial scheduled to begin July 22.
When asked Tuesday if the Broncos were going to let the legal process reach a conclusion before the team made a decision on Cooper's future, Payton said: "There's a process period from the league and that involves the local law enforcement. We'll continue to gather that information.''
Cooper also could face a suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy. A league spokesman said last week the NFL was monitoring the case.
