The past few offseasons have not been kind to Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. Last winter, Howard was arrested on Domestic Battery charges stemming from an at-home incident involving him and his fiancée. Those charges were eventually dropped and the Dolphins cornerback went on to enjoy a successful 2020 campaign in Miami. Now, Howard is once again back in the headlines — the Miami Herald is reporting that Howard has declined multiple interview requests from police regarding a June shooting at the home of NFL agent Damarius Bilbo.
Bilbo, who was not home at the time of the incident but his wife and 12-year old son were, formerly served as Howard’s representation and helped broker Howard’s current contract with the Dolphins; a deal that the Dolphins cornerback is expected to look to upgrade this offseason after signing with David Canter.
Howard is not considered a suspect in the June shooting, which according to the first-hand account of Bilbo’s son involved a four-door gold sedan pulling up to the front of the yard before a Black male in a gray hoodie walked onto the lawn and fired at the front of the home before speeding away. The officer on scene found that a 9mm bullet had “traveled through the center window frame, through the home’s playroom drywall, through another wall in the 2nd floor hallway, and into the corner of a subsequent wall into the top frame,” according to the incident report.
But Howard is listed on the “Additional Name List” of the police report along with five other individuals. How is Howard connected if not a suspect? Phone calls placed among individuals named on the police report that partook in the shooting and, of course, Howard’s prior relationship with Bilbo. According to the Miami Herald, the police have determined that two phone calls were exchanged on the day of the incident between those named in the incident report: Leonardo Kenyun Underwood twice called Ray Bryan Gibson on the day of the shooting. Underwood, according to the Herald, is a friend of Howard, whereas Gibson shares the same address as Angelica Tyese Brown — whose name the vehicle involved in the shooting is registered to.
Howard’s attorney, Darren Heitner, provided a statement: “Xavien was not involved in the incident. There’s absolutely no evidence to support otherwise.”
But whether or not he will oblige and speak with police about the matter is still yet to be determined. According to the Herald’s report, Howard has declined interviews as far back as August, citing he was positive for COVID-19. And a number of other requests to speak with Howard have been made in the months that followed — including one in recent weeks. And Howard has declined.