Lawyers for the current Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver responded to the arrest, calling it a “baseless allegation.”
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — A felony assault charge against Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver and former Texas Longhorns standout Xavier Worthy has been dropped, his lawyer confirmed on Saturday evening.
Jail records in Williamson County, just north of Austin, show the 21-year-old Worthy was arrested by the sheriff’s office and booked into county jail. As of 5:45 p.m., records show Worthy has been released from the jail.
Details around Worthy’s arrest are unknown at this time, but he was charged with assaulting a family member by impeding their breathing or circulation, a third-degree felony in Texas.
However, as of Saturday evening, court records show the charge as “dismissed/declined.” Worthy’s lawyer, Sam Bassett, confirmed the charges were dropped but did not provide more details.
“Mr. Worthy will continue to cooperate as necessary,” Bassett said.
Under Texas law, impeding breathing includes “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly impeding” normal breathing or circulation of blood by “applying pressure to the person’s throat or neck or by blocking the person’s nose or mouth.”
Lawyers for Worthy issued the following statement after his arrest:
“We are aware of the allegation that led to Mr. Worthy’s arrest. We are working with law enforcement in Williamson County to ensure they have the benefit of the totality of circumstances that led to this allegation.
“The complainant was asked multiple times over the last two weeks to vacate Mr. Worthy’s residence upon discovery of her infidelity, which a private investigator has video evidence of. She has refused to vacate the residence and made a number of extortive efforts prior to resorting to this baseless allegation against Mr. Worthy. The complainant further destroyed a room in the residence, scratched Mr. Worthy’s face and ripped out parts of his hair, which there is photographic evidence of. Mr. Worthy told law enforcement at the time of the incident he did not want to press charges against the complainant.
“We will continue to cooperate with Williamson County authorities as we have full faith their thorough investigation will support Mr. Worthy’s innocence.”
Worthy, who is originally from California, spent three years playing football at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was named First-Team All-Big 12 twice. He was also the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2021 after catching 12 touchdowns in 12 games for the Longhorns.
The Chiefs then selected Worthy 28th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He finished his rookie season with 59 catches for 638 yards and six touchdowns, while also rushing 20 times for 104 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Worthy became the first Texas Longhorn to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. He would also break the NFL rookie record for most receiving yards in the Super Bowl, previously held by receivers Chris Matthews of the Seattle Seahawks and Torry Holt of the St. Louis Rams.