Xavien Howard, a cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, was arrested late Sunday night on domestic battery charges.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that according to police, Howard and his fiancee engaged in a verbal argument over a purse Howard purchased that she was not aware of. The argument turned physical when he grabbed both her arms, pushed her against a mirrored glass and then let her go causing her to fall to the floor, hitting her right arm against his crutches. When police arrived to the scene Howard’s fiancee had noticeable scratches and redness on her wrist and forearm. Howard, who spent the back half of the season on injured reserved due a knee injury, complained of knee pain and was taken to the hospital before being booked at the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail.
On Monday during his end of season news conference Dolphins head coach Brian Flores addressed the arrest, telling reporters:
“We’re still gathering information on that. We take situations like that very, very seriously. We’re gathering information, and it’s unfortunate. How does it impact us? It does impact us. Again, we take these things very seriously. We’ll gather all the information and do what’s best for the organization.”
When asked if Howard will be able to remain with the team Flores demurred and told reporters that they still needed to gather information and talk to Howard before they make a decision.
Maybe I’m just a cynic but I don’t expect anything to happen to Howard here. Historically, the NFL doesn’t care about how good of a person you are or how a players actions reflect on them. The only reason Ray Rice got fired was because video leaked showing the incident, not because the NFL actually cared about what happened. If the Saints are willing to give Antonio Brown even the slightest bit of consideration, I wouldn’t be shocked if Howard is fined and that winds up being the end of it. Which is unfortunate and sends the message that you can be an abuser and still be rewarded millions of dollars. Call me naive but I think what you do in the real world should matter more than how well you can catch a ball.
Bleacher Report states that Howard was signed in 2016 as a second round draft pick and has racked up 140 tackles, 35 pass breakups and 12 interceptions during his career. He signed a five-year contract $75.25 million extension in May. In other words, he probably still has a job.