Former Ohio State DE Jonathon Cooper arrested for second time in eight days

The legal troubles of former Ohio State standout and current Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper have taken a turn for the worse.

Cooper was arrested and jailed again Thursday night after being accused of violating a protection order related to his arrest the previous week. It is the second time in eight days that the 28-year-old has been taken into custody, and the situation has escalated significantly with each development.

Cooper was booked into the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Detention Facility at 10:07 p.m. on June 11 and was scheduled to appear before a judge at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

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The initial arrest occurred on June 4, when Cooper was taken into custody by the Parker Police Department in Colorado on domestic violence and criminal mischief charges. According to an affidavit, Cooper and his girlfriend argued over allegations of cheating. The dispute turned physical, culminating in a struggle over Cooper's phone. Both Cooper and his girlfriend were booked that night.

Cooper originally faced misdemeanor domestic violence charges and pleaded not guilty Monday in a Douglas County courtroom. However, Douglas County District records showed that Cooper was also facing a felony charge and an additional misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault, both announced in court Wednesday.

Those upgraded charges — including a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation — prompted the issuance of a protection order for Cooper's girlfriend.

Cooper did not comply with the conditions of that order. According to the arrest affidavit, Cooper allegedly sent 20 messages and made two unanswered phone calls to his girlfriend on Thursday before going to her apartment, knocking on her door, and leaving when she called 911.

The former Buckeye star now faces two domestic violence charges, one harassment charge based on repeated phone calls and a fourth charge for violation of a protection order — in addition to the charges from his first arrest, which now include a felony count.

Ohio State fans watched Cooper blossom from a prized recruit into one of the program's most decorated defensive players.

A native of Gahanna, Ohio, Cooper arrived in Columbus as a five-star prospect in the 2016 recruiting class. He spent five seasons with the Buckeyes, recording 76 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He earned All-Big Ten and All-American honors in 2020 and was awarded the program's prestigious "Block O" jersey — a recognition reserved for players who exemplify leadership, resilience and character.

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Cooper was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round (No. 239 overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent his first two seasons as a rotational reserve before becoming a full-time starter. Since 2023, he has started every regular-season game for Denver.

The peak of his professional career came in 2024, when he recorded a career-high 10.5 sacks and signed a four-year, $60 million contract extension. He followed that in 2025 with eight regular-season sacks, a postseason sack and AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He enters the 2026 season with 31.5 career sacks.

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