Vikings release cornerback Jeff Gladney following indictment

The Minnesota Vikings have announced the release of former first-round pick Jeff Gladney.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyjpbajmjvnqmj player_id=none image=https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

On Tuesday, Jeff Gladney was indicted by a grand jury on a felony assault charge. That same day, the Vikings decided to release their former first-round draft pick.

Gladney’s indictment stems from an alleged assault of his then-girlfriend. The woman is also suing Gladney for at least $1 million in damages.

Minnesota announced the decision to release Gladney by saying “we take these matters very seriously and condemn all forms of domestic violence. Due to the ongoing legal nature of this matter, we are unable to provide further comment.”

Read the full statement below.

Gladney had been absent from all of the Vikings’ offseason activities amid the ongoing case. If convicted, he faces 2-10 years in prison. In July, the woman’s lawsuit claimed Gladney showed up at her home, forcing her to delete threads of text messages and screenshots of text messages.

He is set to be arraigned in court, with a trial date yet to be determined.