Damon Arnette settles gun case, hopes for NFL return

Former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette was sentenced to community service on Monday after agreeing to a plea deal in a gun case and said he hopes for another NFL opportunity.

Arnette, who turns 27 next month, was indicted in May on felony gun charges stemming from an incident in January 2022 in Las Vegas. He reached the deal with prosecutors last week to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault and drawing a deadly weapon charges.

"I'm remorseful about everything," Arnette told reporters after Monday's hearing. "I do have regrets, but I'm not dwelling on it because I'm a better man than what I was."

Clark County district judge Ron Israel sentenced Arnette to 50 hours of community service and fined him $2,000. He also told Arnette to keep away from firearms.

Arnette's arrest stemmed from a report of a person with a gun at the Park MGM Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Arnette was accused of brandishing a .45-caliber handgun during an argument with casino valets.

The Raiders released Arnette in November 2021 amid two lawsuits and a troubling video posted by the defensive back. The video showed Arnette repeatedly threatening to kill someone while brandishing what appeared to be semi-automatic weapons.

The Kansas City Chiefs, who had signed Arnette to a reserve contract, released him after the arrest at the casino.

Arnette told reporters Monday that he has been discussing an NFL return with the Dallas Cowboys, but the court case had to be settled for talks to progress.

"Whatever I do, if I'm blessed enough to get a chance in the NFL then I'm going to kill that," he said. "If not, I'm still a better person than I was before, so I'm going to kill whatever it is I do."

The Raiders selected Arnette with the 19th overall pick out of Ohio State in the 2020 draft. Injuries limited him to 13 games (seven starts) in his one-plus seasons. He didn't record any interceptions and had 29 tackles.