Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper is facing additional charges, including a felony charge of second-degree assault, stemming from his arrest last week at his apartment in Parker.
Cooper initially faced a charge of misdemeanor criminal mischief following an incident with his girlfriend the night of June 4. He now also faces a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation and a misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault — knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury. The charges were announced Wednesday in Douglas County District Court, according to court records. Cooper pleaded not guilty in court on Monday morning to the original charge, with a trial scheduled in late July.
The Post has reached out to Cooper’s attorney Harvey Steinberg and spokespeople for the Broncos and the NFL for comment.
Cooper and his girlfriend got into an argument on June 4 after she accused him of cheating on her and a physical struggle broke out, according to each of their arrest affidavits. But each of them described their argument differently.
Cooper told police he’d grabbed his girlfriend by her upper arms to retrieve his phone, and that he bit her phone and caused “disabling damage,” as his affidavit reads.
In her own arrest affidavit, Cooper’s girlfriend told police that he had “grabbed her by the neck with one hand” and lifted her against the wall for approximately one minute. Cooper’s girlfriend also alleged that he threw her to the ground approximately three times, as the affidavit reads.
At the time, the arresting officer wrote in the affidavit that they observed a “small mark” on Cooper’s girlfriend’s neck and scratches on her arm, but the officer wrote in the affidavit that it did not seem consistent with a man lifting the woman by her neck as she told the officer Cooper had done to her.
Cooper was at Broncos practice on Thursday during the team’s second week of OTAs, and has been on the field since Monday. Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Thursday that team leadership had a “long visit” with Cooper about the incident, and that the league will be “very much involved” as the legal process continues.
“We’ll stay as informed as possible,” Payton said Thursday. “We’ll follow the league’s guidelines, and I’m sure a lot of that will be led by the local authorities’ guidelines. We’ll pay attention to all of it.”
The states that the league office will begin an investigation when it becomes aware of any possible violation of that policy, which includes criminal proceedings for incidents involving assault or physical violence against another person. If Cooper is found guilty of criminal assault under any NFL investigation, he could be subject to a six-game suspension, according to league policy.
Cooper, 28, will play in 2026 on the second year of a four-year contract extension worth up to $60 million and signed in November 2024. He has established himself as a key starter on Denver’s defense, finishing second on the team with eight sacks in 2025.
