Damon Arnette hoping to make the most of second chance at professional football

There was once a time when the football world was finished with Damon Arnette.

In 2020, the Las Vegas Raiders took a chance on the Ohio State cornerback with one of their two first-round selections that year. Arnette would not last more than two seasons with the Raiders, as he was released in November of 2021 after a video saw him holding firearms and making death threats. Since then, it has been a series of trials and tribulations for the talented but troubled Arnette, and many lamented the waste of potential.

However, Arnette received a second chance when he signed with the United Football League’s Houston Roughnecks in December, and he is determined not to let this rare second chance go to waste.

Arnette has turned heads in his return to football, and there is a real possibility he can return to the NFL.

In an interview with NFL insider Aaron Wilson, Arnette discussed how he has taken his return to professional football in stride.

“I’m 28 years old right now with three kids, with a mom and dad that loves me and has my back right now,” Arnette said. “With coaches, I feel like I’ve proved a complete turnaround. All the coaches that have been with me right now, I feel like their words would be more valuable because I’ve said a lot of things in the past. What I would say is what they see on film, that’s me being out of commission for three years.”

“I’m a dawg on the field. I’m more of a professional now than I ever was before. I wasn’t a professional before. I was just a dawg. I found professionalism and a calm state of mind. I feel like I’m the best version of myself that I’ve ever been.”

Arnette has been out of football for three years, but it would be difficult to tell just by looking at his tape and stats.

So far, Arnette has appeared in seven games for the Roughnecks, notching 18 tackles, five passes defended, one sack and a pick-six. Still just 28 years old, Arnette still has a window of opportunity to latch onto a NFL team for training camp and seeing how he stacks up. If he does make it back onto a NFL field, it will be the first time since 2021.

“I am so proud of Damon,” veteran agent Steve Weinberg said about Arnette. “He easily could have fallen off the radar. Instead, he’s worked extra hard to turn his life around to where NFL teams should notice.”

“He’ll be a free agent in two weeks, eligible to sign with an NFL team in time for veteran minicamps in June. As NFL teams know, corners are like pitchers in baseball, you can never have enough cornerbacks.”

With an impressive return to football in the UFL, Arnette has the chance to rewrite the ending of his NFL story.