Jonathon Cooper put himself and a woman in a dangerous situation last month. And the Broncos’ owners officially decided Wednesday that it was worth risking their reputations to support him.
At 10:31 a.m., Cooper became obvious to onlookers as he went through stretching with 86 other teammates on the first day of an acclimation period before training camp opens to fans on Friday.
Cooper faces a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation and three misdemeanors for two arrests in June involving his ex-girlfriend.
The team and Cooper made the mutual decision for him to stay away from the end of mandatory minicamp last month, creating an avenue for Cooper to pursue mental health treatment for 40 days and time for Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner to gather information.
Cooper now sparks strong emotions from those who cite the legal principle of “innocent until proven guilty,” and others, including women’s rights advocates, who believe it is “irresponsible” to allow Cooper back in the building until his arraignment on Aug. 31.
Two sides with only one thing clear.
The Broncos’ owners will never look quite the same.
They have placed their reputation, impeccable until this point, at stake. There are those of us, myself included, who naively thought they would draw the line at domestic violence allegations when it comes to gainful employment.
They chose the path of least resistance, allowing the court and an NFL investigation to dictate their next step. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Post on Wednesday that “the matter continues to be reviewed under the personal conduct policy,” and added, “there’s no timetable.”
In the meantime, the Broncos have Cooper’s back.
“We are staying the course with the league protocol, relative to what we have been advised to do. He has been fantastic away from the building. We will continue to do that and monitor it. We are supportive and yet we are very much aware of the seriousness of these types of things,” coach Sean Payton said. “Pretty much what I said in the spring, there is a schedule and a course to this and that is what we have to follow.”
Well, actually they don’t.
The Broncos chose to portray Cooper’s situation as complex, requiring patience with limited options. But there was always a simple solution available: cut him.
There would have been an $18.2 million salary cap hit. Outrageous, until you consider they absorbed a $53 million hit in 2024 and $32 million in 2024 to release maligned quarterback Russell Wilson.
They could have wished Cooper well and moved on in the name of doing what was best for the franchise.
This is what I thought the Broncos owners were going to do based on their reaction to linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite’s arrest in March of 2025.
Did they fool us by firing him two days after he was accused of punching a police officer in the departure lane at Denver International Airport, or was I only fooling myself about their view of accountability?
Ironically, Wilhoite was welcomed back this week as well, hired as a defensive assistant. While in jeopardy of sounding hypocritical, his case was different, not rising to the level of domestic violence accusations.
There was also this: he faced consequences.
He spent 16 months away from the team, then was rehired after his case was dismissed and sealed. He still faces a civil suit from the policeman he allegedly punched in the face.
How did the Broncos go from acting swiftly with Wilhoite and requiring a lengthy absence before bringing him back to giving Cooper the benefit of the doubt?
He sought help, as Payton explained. The Broncos stayed in contact with him over the past six weeks. They believed in his progress. They believe in the person.
That is at the crux of this situation. They could not reconcile the charges with the person they know. The team captain at Ohio State. A team leader in the Broncos locker room.
Regardless, the risk in placing faith in Cooper is enormous. And for me, not worth it.
For all those who say, “everyone deserves a chance, doesn’t he?”
Glad you asked. He already got one. He was arrested twice last month, a second time after being warned by every meaningful team official to remove himself from the situation.
As an outsider looking in, that was a complete breach of trust. He has received treatment since, and hopefully it has worked. But there is no guarantee.
The first incident would have been enough for me to sever ties. If there was any doubt, the second would have clinched it.
Sports stars frequently remind us that those living on pedestals can never be fully known.
Here is what we do know. A forensic nurse who evaluated Cooper’s former girlfriend reported to police that the woman had experienced “strangulation with hypoxia and traumatic brain injury,” according to the affidavit.
And when the responding officer asked Cooper if he grabbed his former girlfriend’s neck, the 28-year-old “nodded his head up and down, coupled with an mm-hmm,” and said he grabbed it “aggressive,” per the affidavit.
Payton said Wednesday he was aware of the nurse’s report to the police.
“When it’s finally finished, we’ll all have a better feel,” he said. “It’s unfair for me to answer any of those questions right now without having the totality of it finalized. I think that will come sooner than later.”
Teams can handle domestic violence allegations as they choose, from zero tolerance to letting the league determine whether to issue a suspension.
Going case-by-case represents the middle ground.
But how many affidavits involving a Bronco will read worse than “the patient experienced physical injury which, either at the time of the actual injury or at a later time involved… (a) substantial risk of death (and) a substantial risk of protracted loss or impairment of the function of any part or organ on the body.”
Like it or not, an organization known for doing the right thing since the Walton Penner ownership took over has established a new standard regarding player conduct.
The team leaders can say they take these incidents seriously, but our eyes tell us more than any words.
It just does not pass the everyman test. If this were any one of us, we would have been fired. Slow-playing discipline comes across as convenient for a team in a Super Bowl window, something the Kansas City Chiefs have turned into an art form.
Cutting Cooper would presume guilt. I get it. I would rather err on the side of caution.
For everything they have done, the owners have put their reputations on the line with this decision.
That was the only conclusion to draw as Cooper went through drills, laughing and smiling, the blazing sun the only unforgiving thing on Wednesday.
