The Dolphins’ Howard won’t face suspension after state dropped domestic assault charge
Xavien Howard won’t face any disciplinary action from the NFL this season after the Broward County state attorney’s office dropped a domestic battery charge against the Miami Dolphins cornerback in February. On Wednesday, an NFL spokesperson confirmed Howard won’t face a suspension or any other disciplinary action for the 2020 season.
Howard was arrested late last year after his fiancee accused him of pushing her into a glass wall at their Davie home during an argument about a purse.
In a 911 call, Howard’s fiancee said it wasn’t the first time such behavior occurred, TMZ reported, and police arrested Howard for domestic battery. Less than two months later, Howard’s fiancee, however, told authorities she no longer wanted to prosecute the defensive back. The case was dismissed in February.
Howard is the father of his fiancee’s three children.
“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 state attorney’s office. “There were no other witnesses to the incident and our prosecutors said they were unable to proceed without testimony from the alleged victim.”
Howard was using crutches to get around at the time as he recovered from season-ending knee surgery. The corner played in just five games last season, logging one interception, four passes defended and 17 total tackles.
A year earlier, he was one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. In 2018, Howard led the NFL with seven interception, and added 35 tackles, 12 passes defended and a fumble recovery. He went to his first, and so far only, Pro Bowl.
One of the splashiest moves the Dolphins made this offseason was finding another star-level cornerback to pair with Howard.
In March, Miami signed cornerback Byron Jones to a five-year, $82.5-million contract, hoping to create one of the most formidable cornerback tandems in the NFL.
As long as Howard is fully recovered from his knee injury, the Dolphins will get to show off their talented back end as soon as the season begins.
