Texas A&M Football: Tyrel Dodson has signed NFL contract despite allegations

Former Texas A&M football star Tyrel Dodson’s NFL career appears to be back on track after a recent Instagram post by the talented inside linebacker.

One of the most distinguished Aggie linebackers in the SEC era, Tyrel Dodson has had, in a word, an eventful offseason since forgoing his senior year in College Station.

After finishing a sensational junior campaign that saw him torment opposing offenses with 42 solo stops, seven tackles for loss and two defensive touchdowns, Dodson chose to skip one last season in the maroon and white and try his hand at the next level. Although equipped with instinctive athleticism and an impressive collegiate resume, the Tennessee native’s decision surprised many.

Despite all of his accomplishments in the Southeastern Conference, there was no denying his lack of height, and the idea that he needed another season in school to sharpen some of the rough edges of his game was a common thought among the majority of NFL scouts.

Unfortunately for Dodson, those deterrents proved to be too much to overcome. The three-year starter would go unselected in April’s NFL draft despite a strong showing at the NFL combine.

He would be forced to start out his career behind the eight-ball as an undrafted free agent, but this would only be the tip of the iceberg for the former leader of the Aggie defense.

Just weeks after agreeing to terms with the Buffalo Bills, Dodson was reportedly involved in a stunning domestic violence incident with his girlfriend in Scottsdale, Ariz.

According to TMZ Sports, the Bills linebacker was pulled out of a nightclub and arrested after his girlfriend filed a police report stating he slapped her and took money from her personal safe.

The news shocked fans, coaches, and media members alike. Throughout his time in college, Dodson was praised for his generosity and kindness. A team leader in the locker room, there were countless stories out there that vouched for his character on and off the field.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1120824814111993857

Now nearly a month after the news was broken, it appears the rookie linebacker and the Bills have put the incident behind them after Dodson released a photo via his Instagram account of him signing his rookie contract with Buffalo.

Though details of his case are still unknown, if he has just signed his contract, logic says there is much more to this story than what was originally published.

With the NFL cracking down on domestic violence in recent years, it is still relatively surprising to see the Bills move forward with Dodson in contract negotiations without releasing an official statement on the situation.

Although the incident still looms large over Dodson’s NFL future, there are many who believe that from a sheer talent standpoint, he has the acumen to make the Bill’s 53-man roster this Fall. However, with domestic violence being a hot button topic across professional sports — and rightfully so after neglecting the issue for many years — it’s likely too soon for that call to be made.

If found guilty of the charges, Dodson being released is the most likely outcome, although there’s still an outside chance he could find his way back on an NFL roster. After the league’s egregious mishandling of the Ray Rice and Greg Hardy cases, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell lengthened bans to six games for a player’s first domestic violence incident and a lifetime ban after their second.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott commentated on the situation earlier this month, stating “It’s unfortunate. It’s a serious situation. We’ve communicated with him. It’s an open case at this point so we have to let it go through the court process and do our best to stay on top of it from our end and making sure we are gathering as much information as we can.”

Dodson, who has reportedly participated in the team’s OTA’s since the arrest, is supposedly due in court later this month. Since posting the picture Monday afternoon, he has received words of encouragement in the comments of the post from several of his former teammates and fellow professional athletes.