Former Pro Bowl safety, Panthers exec arrested on three domestic violence charges

The Panthers announced Sunday that their Adrian Wilson partnership ended after barely a year. More information has come to light as to why the NFC South team severed ties with the veteran front-office staffer.

Wilson was arrested on three domestic violence charges at 6 a.m. ET on June 1, The Athletic’s Joe Person and Doug Haller report. Police arrested Wilson at his home on charges of assault, criminal damage and disorderly conduct. All three charges are misdemeanors (subscription required). He is next due in court July 16.

A GM candidate who finished his Cardinals tenure as interim GM following Steve Keim‘s leave of absence late in 2022, Wilson served as VP of player personnel with the Panthers. Although Carolina changed GMs this offseason, Wilson’s exit appears to stem from this arrest rather than that offseason move.

When asked if the team knew about Wilson’s arrest, a Panthers spokesperson pointed to their original statement on the matter, via Person. The club had hired the former Cardinals safety-turned-exec in February 2023. Wilson, 44, is a High Point, North Carolina, native.

The Cardinals employed Wilson for eight years, and the longtime starting DB climbed the ranks to serve as Arizona’s VP of pro scouting by 2021. Wilson joined Quentin Harris as co-interim GMs to finish out the 2022 season and interviewed for Arizona’s GM job, but Monti Ossenfort landed the gig last year. The Jaguars were connected to Wilson for a high-ranking front office job in 2022, but that arrangement did not come to fruition.