Cards release Philon after his arrest
Starting DE allegedly threatened dancer outside Phoenix strip club
Coach Kliff Kingsbury wouldn’t say much about Darius Philon when he met with reporters prior to the start of Saturday’s practice, but the Cardinals spoke volumes later in the afternoon when they announced they had released the starting defensive end a day after his arrest on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Philon was released from custody Saturday after posting bond, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, following his arrest stemming from an incident at a Phoenix strip bar back on May 17 in which he allegedly threatened to shoot a dancer outside the club when she refused to go home with him.
He was also reportedly granted permission to
leave the state for job-related matters. But it won’t be with the Cardinals, who, by cutting the fifth-year pro, will have $3 million counted against their salary cap in 2019.
“With regard to Darius Philon, obviously we’re aware of the situation and the serious allegations,” Kingsbury said before practice. “It’s been reported to the league, so we will allow that process from a legal perspective and a league perspective to move forward and we aren’t allowed to comment further at this time.”
Asked if Philon had been suspended by the team at the time, Kingsbury didn’t say.
“Once again, I’m not going to comment further on that. We are where we are at (with) it currently and that’s it.”
Except it wasn’t. The team announced in an email about an hour or so after practice Saturday that they had released Philon. He automatically becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign with anyone. However, Philon almost certainly faces a lengthy suspension by the NFL for violating its code of conduct policy.
Even if he were to avoid a criminal conviction, he is still subject to discipline by the league, which is expected to conduct a full investigation into the matter. If the NFL determines Philon engaged in the conduct police have accused him of, Philon could be suspended for at least six games and possibly longer.
Philon could be placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which would prohibit him from practicing with or playing for any team until such time as his case is determined by the league.
According to TMZ, which first reported the news citing a police report, a female who worked at the strip club, VLive, told Phoenix police that Philon requested that she and another female companion accompany him outside to his vehicle, a white BMW. Once there, according to TMZ, Philon allegedly grabbed a handgun and pointed it at one of the victim’s chest, saying, “Which one of you wants a bullet?”
According to TMZ, Philon allegedly lowered the gun before again pointing it at the woman. The alleged victim went to police days later and they launched an investigation which resulted in Philon’s arrest Friday morning, a day after the Cardinals’ preseason opener against Philon’s previous team, the Chargers, at State Farm Stadium.
Kingsbury said rookie Zach Allen will step into Philon’s starting role opposite Rodney Gunter in the team’s 3-4 base defense. Allen, a third-round pick out of Boston College, will make his first official start this coming Thursday night when the Cardinals meet the Raiders in Glendale.
“We feel like he can kind of do it all,” Kingsbury said of the 6-foot-5, 285pound Allen. “If we asked him to stand up (and play outside linebacker), he’s probably versatile enough to do that as well. He’s kind of a jack of all trades. He’s still a rookie and has a long way to go and he understands that, but there’s definitely some versatility there.”
Asked what he likes the most about Allen, Kingsbury said, “I think his coachability.”
“You ask him to do it one way and he nails it,” he added. “And if he makes a mistake, he doesn’t make it twice. Then the work ethic and the motor. I mean, he’s got all those intangibles that you look for.”
Beyond Gunter and Allen, the Cardinals don’t have much depth at defensive end. The only player with any real experience at the position is Terrell McClain, who is entering his ninth NFL season. The two other defensive ends are Sterling Bailey, who’s bounced around the league the past few years on the practice squads of four different teams, and rookie Michael Dogby, a seventh-round pick from Temple.
“Yeah, I think that’s an area with (General Manager) Steve (Keim) that we’ll have to address where we’re at depth-wise to get through camp and continue to evaluate players on that Dline,” Kingsbury said.
“But I like what Zach Allen has brought. I’m real excited that we have him here, obviously. We think he’s got a heck of a future.”
As for Darius Philon’s future, it’s in an indefinite holding pattern. He is the third Cardinals player to be involved in brushes with the law in the past 60 days.
In June, an arrest warrant was issue for offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, who later turned himself into North Carolina authorities on domestic violence assault charges. According to Greensboro police, the charges included assault by strangulation and assault on a woman stemming from an incident at a Greensboro residence. He was subsequently released by the Cardinals.
Last month, defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, a former first-round pick by Arizona, was arrested twice within a week for speeding and driving on a suspended license. Upon reporting to camp over weight and out of shape, he also was giving his release. He recently agreed to a one-year deal with the Dolphins.