If the Kansas City Chiefs were hoping to prove themselves as a sort of safe haven for Damon Arnette, a character-shaping organization within which the former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback could grow into a solid citizen and build a career in professional football, well, it looks as if it might not happen after all.
As they say, you can take Damon Arnette out of the Raiders but you cannot take the Raiders out of Damon Arnette.
Per a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Arnette was arrested on Friday night and charged with several crimes including multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon. carrying firearms without permits, and substance charges. Honestly, we’re bored just listing the charges so just imagine a young kid known for character deficiencies, poor choices, and violent outbursts continuing such behavior.
Damon Arnette was arrested on Friday night for a bunch of dumb stuff.
What’s crazy is that he’s still pulling all of this back in Clark County (Las Vegas). The Chiefs responded accordingly, by the way.
The #Chiefs immediately released CB Damon Arnette after his arrest Friday night in Las Vegas for assault with a deadly weapon, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 29, 2022
We cannot blame Brett Veach for trying here. The Chiefs general manager has a pretty consistent record of chasing former high-round draft picks at their lowest value in hopes of squeezing some use out of them in future seasons. Both Deandre Baker and Mike Hughes are former first-round corners currently on the roster who were similar claims (albeit without the legit issues facing Arnette). Others include Cam Erving, Reggie Ragland, Josh Jackson and more.
The Chiefs have a strong organizational culture, excellent communication, and exemplary coaches. If there is a franchise that should have taken a chance on Arnette (or someone like him), it’s the Chiefs. But there are reasons the risk is high on projects like Arnette.
All along, it was going to be a nothing-to-lose proposition for the Chiefs and this will certainly end the tenure of Arnette with the team (or it would be absolutely shocking if it did not). The real loss here is on Arnette’s side, a man with a golden opportunity to learn from the best at a position that will be an offseason need for the Chiefs. He could be repairing his image, earning playing time, and aiming for Super Bowls.
Arnette originally came into the NFL via the 2020 NFL Draft in which the Raiders made him a first-round pick out of Ohio State.