Prosecutors drop domestic violence case against Dolphins star Xavien Howard
Broward County prosecutors have dropped the month-old domestic violence case against Xavien Howard after the alleged victim — his fiancée — told authorities she no longer wants to proceed with prosecution, the county’s state attorney’s office said Thursday.
The case was dismissed during a hearing in criminal court Thursday morning. Howard’s attorney, Michael Grieco, had no further comment.
Howard had been accused of he pushing his fiancée into a glass wall at their Davie home during a heated argument about a purse on Dec. 29. Cops charged him with battery.
A 911 call released this week captured the alleged victim telling dispatchers that it was not the first time such behavior occurred, TMZ reported.
“My fiancée continues to think he can just push me, throw me into the wall without me doing nothing just because of who he is,” the woman says,” the victim said, according to the report.
“But it’s kind of getting to a point, it’s just like, it’s getting physical.”
According to the arrest report, Howard — the father of the woman’s three children — “grabbed both her arms and pushed her back up against the mirrored glass wall in the hallway of their bedroom.” Howard “then let her go, causing her to fall to the floor on her right arm, landing on his medical assisted walking crutch, which was on the floor.”
Howard, a 2018 Pro Bowler, at the time used crutches to get around as he recovered from season-ending knee surgery.
His fiancée had “visible” scratches, redness on her right wrist and forearm and “redness and an abrasion” on her right elbow from falling on the crutches, police said at the time.
However, she and her attorneys met with Broward prosecutors this week and asked them to drop the case and signed an affidavit of non-prosecution.
“She also stated that it was a ‘situation that got out of hand’ and she has no fear of the defendant and no fear for her safety,” according to Broward SAO. “There were no other witnesses to the incident and our prosecutors said they were unable to proceed without testimony from the alleged victim.”
The Dolphins had no immediate comment about the case’s resolution.
At the time of the arrest, the team released the following statement: “We are aware of the situation and currently gathering information. We will have no further comment at this time.”
Howard in 2019 signed the richest contract ever given to a cornerback, totaling $76.5 million over five years. He was supposed to be a major part of the team’s rebuild. However, the Dolphins had subtly backed away from Howard since his arrest, not including him a promotional video released this week that featured many of the team’s best young players.
Howard remains subject to the NFL’s domestic violence policy and could still face a suspension, even though the case has been resolved.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 10:57 AM.
