Ex-Viking Gets Life-Altering News in Texas
Dustin Baker
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Former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jeff Gladney won’t be spending 10 years in prison after all.
The 25-year-old was found not guilty of felony assault on Thursday, unanimously acquitted by a Dallas jury.
Last April, Gladney was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend “intentionally, knowingly and recklessly.”
The Vikings monitored the situation for four months, ultimately releasing the second-year cornerback in August 2021. Now, Gladney is free to sign with an NFL team.
After the verdict on Thursday, Gladney’s agents commented, “This has been a challenging time for Jeff mentally, spiritually and athletically, so, we applaud Jeff for having the courage to stand and fight for his freedom versus these false allegations.”
With the Vikings, Gladney performed admirably for a rookie. He was a 1st-Round pick on the same night the franchise landed wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Gladney notched a 50.1 grade from Pro Football Focus during his rookie campaign, displaying a knack for tackling and scrappiness, almost in a safety-like way.
Gladney was drafted — and subsequently released — by Minnesota’s old leadership regime of Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer. Losing Gladney and his 1st-Round draft capital was a major blow to the Vikings, who only have one startable cornerback on the roster at the moment, Cameron Dantzler. Yet, at the time, the Vikings front office evidently didn’t want association with Gladney’s legal maladies.
It is unlikely Gladney returns to the Vikings, even with a clean bill of legal standing. If Minnesota truly believed there was no smoke with the fire of the assault charges, Gladney would’ve remained on the roster in an inactive capacity. Too, Gladney likely felt some form of disloyalty when the Vikings released him before a trial by jury.
Gladney has played in a total of 15 NFL games.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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