ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper was arrested Thursday night on multiple charges that he violated a protection order that was filed against him earlier in the week.
It is the second time this month that Cooper has been arrested. In addition to multiple charges from his first arrest, including a felony charge, he is facing new charges: one for harassment from repeated phone calls and one for the violation of a protection order, according to records.
Cooper was booked into the Douglas County (Colorado) Jail at 10:07 p.m. MT Thursday following his arrest by Parker Police. He remained in custody as of Friday morning, when a court hearing was scheduled.
The protection order had been placed for Cooper's girlfriend after two additional charges, including a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation, were added from his June 4 arrest in Parker, Colorado, according to court records.
According to the arrest affidavit, Cooper allegedly sent 20 messages and made two unanswered phone calls to his girlfriend Thursday before going to her apartment and knocking on her door before leaving when she called 911. When police went to Cooper's home, officers said he told them that he had not been served with a protection order.
"We are disappointed to learn of Jonathon Cooper's arrest on Thursday and continue to review this matter," the Broncos said in a statement Friday morning.
Following Cooper's latest arrest, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the league will "continue to monitor all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy."
Cooper, 28, originally faced misdemeanor domestic violence charges and pleaded not guilty Monday in a Douglas County courtroom. But Douglas County District records showed that Cooper is also facing the felony charge and an additional misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault ("knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury"). Those charges were announced in court Wednesday.
He was initially arrested along with his girlfriend June 4 by Parker Police. He was released from Douglas County Jail on June 5 on a personal recognizance bond.
Part of Wednesday's affidavit on the new charges was information from a hospital exam for Cooper's girlfriend. In that report, a nurse wrote that the woman experienced a physical injury from being choked that led to a "substantial risk of death" or substantial risk of injury, including the possibility of traumatic brain injury.
The nurse's assessment differed from that of a police officer, who said in an affidavit on the June 4 arrest that marks observed on Cooper's girlfriend's neck and body were not consistent with an assault. The officer also had recommended a nurse examination at the time.
According to records, Cooper -- identified as Jonathan Javier Cooper in legal documents -- was arrested last week after an argument and physical confrontation between his girlfriend and him over cellphones and that the phones were damaged during the argument. In separate affidavits to police, the two gave vastly different accounts about the argument and confrontation.
According to Cooper's arrest affidavit, he had been confronted by his girlfriend over allegations of infidelity. After Cooper's girlfriend had taken his cellphone from him and thrown it across the room, Cooper had grabbed her by the upper arm as he retrieved the phone. Cooper told police he had "braced his neck against her neck" during her attempt to get his phone.
Cooper's girlfriend told a second officer, according to the affidavit for her arrest, that he had "grabbed her by the neck and held her against the wall for about a minute," picked her up and threw her on the ground three times, and punched the wall next to her head.
Cooper has been in attendance in the team's offseason program, including Thursday's practice. After Thursday's OTA practice, Broncos coach Sean Payton said he had a "long visit" with Cooper about the arrest.
"And now the process plays out," Payton said. "The league obviously will be very much involved in that. We'll stay abreast, but much like you all. I think that's where it's at. We just go from there. ... We'll stay as informed as possible. We'll follow the league's guidelines, and I'm sure a lot of that will be led by the local authorities' guidelines. We'll pay attention to all of it."
On Saturday, Cooper posted a Bible verse on his Instagram account with "I apologize to my family to my friends and my community ... And so many others." Cooper added: "I realize posting a bible. Quote after something very serious happens does not just mean everything is okay."
Cooper was a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in 2021 and is set to enter his sixth season with the team. He signed a four-year, $60 million contract extension in 2024 and ranked second on the team with eight sacks in 2025 as the Broncos' defense set a franchise record for sacks in a season (68).