The Atlanta Falcons said Saturday they are “gathering information” about the arrest of former first-round draft selection Barkevious Mingo in Arlington, Texas.
According to Arlington police records, Mingo was arrested Thursday night on a charge of indecency with child sexual contact. He was released on a $25,000 bond.
“Our organization became aware of the allegations involving Barkevious Mingo today and are currently gathering information on this incident,” the Falcons’ statement read. “The Falcons take the allegations very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.”
No details of the alleged incident were available Saturday afternoon.
Mingo’s lawyer disputed the accusations on Saturday night.
“The allegations out of Tarrant County against my client are completely baseless,” Lukas Garcia said in a statement. “Barkevious Mingo is innocent. At this stage, our side has very limited information. What we do know is these allegations are from over two years ago and are completely untrue. Mr. Mingo is the victim of a false claim, and we believe this is motivated by money or some other ulterior motive. We are confident when the truth comes to light, my client will be fully exonerated.”
The Falcons signed Mingo, 30, to a one-year, $1.25 million deal on March 23 to provide depth at linebacker and on special teams.
The No. 6 overall pick in 2013, Mingo is well-traveled, playing his first three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, then one season each with New England, Indianapolis, Seattle, Houston and Chicago.
In 126 career games (40 starts), he has 255 tackles, 12.5 sacks, five fumble recoveries, one interception and 16 passes defensed.
–Field Level Media
