Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season for a violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy.
The violation stems from a 2017 domestic violence case in which Reed was accused of assault. Reed was not charged or arrested. However, the NFL's personal conduct policy allows the league to punish players regardless of legal outcomes.
Meeghan Black, a public information officer with the Bellevue Police Department, confirmed to ESPN.com that BPD investigated the case and referred it to the city prosecutor's officer with a recommendation of fourth-degree assault/domestic violence.
The city's prosecuting office declined to charge Reed, citing insufficient evidence in a statement to the Seattle Times.
"In 2017, after a careful review of the case, prosecutors believed there was insufficient evidence to prove 'beyond a reasonable doubt' the alleged crime," the City of Bellevue said in the statement. "As with all criminal cases, prosecutors take any incident related to domestic violence very seriously.'"
A memorandum from the City of Bellevue obtained by ESPN and dated Dec. 22, 2017, states that the woman told police that Reed grabbed her by her throat and attempted to drag her by her wrist out of his house.
A statement from the Seahawks acknowledging the suspension stated that the team has "followed league and law enforcement protocol since the alleged incident in April of 2017." It isn't clear why the punishment was handed down so long -- 27 months -- after the incident in question.
According to the memo, Bellevue Police responded to a report of a disturbance at Reed's Bellevue home in the early hours of April 27, 2017, a few months after he finished his rookie season with the Seahawks. The woman told police that she had been dating Reed for about a month, and he had flown her to Seattle from Atlanta earlier in the week.
Reed was hosting a party that night, and the woman became upset over another female at his house, who told the woman that she had been sexually involved with Reed for the past 10 years. That led to an argument in an upstairs bedroom, where the woman alleges that Reed grabbed her by her throat and pulled her into a connected bathroom.
After calling her mother, the woman rejoined the party but returned to the bedroom. She packed her suitcase and moved her belongings into a nearby bedroom, where Reed found her shortly after. According to the memo, Reed grabbed the woman by her wrist and started dragging her across the bedroom floor to the staircase, where she freed herself after being dragged down "a couple of stairs," then ran to another bedroom, closed the door and called 911. Reed chased after her and broke the door open before a friend held him back and convinced him to leave, according to the memo. He was gone by the time police arrived.
The woman told police upon their arrival that her wrist was still hurting and that a red mark on her elbow was the result of Reed's dragging her across the carpet. She declined medical attention but later sent the officer photos of additional injuries "from the incident that were not visible at the time of our contact."
In a statement posted to Twitter on Monday, Reed wrote that he "totally" disagrees with the NFL's ruling but takes responsibility for the situation.
🙏🏾 I love you 12s pic.twitter.com/QH9YRPRqK0
— jarran reed (@1j_reed) July 22, 2019
He is eligible to take part in practices and play in the preseason. Once the regular season begins, he will be eligible to return to the Seahawks on Monday, Oct. 14, following Seattle's Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns. He will miss games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.
Reed's absence will be a major blow to a defensive line that will be without its top pass-rusher, Frank Clark, who was traded to Kansas City. Reed is coming off a career-best 10.5 sacks and 50 tackles in 2018. His 10.5 sacks were tied for fourth among defensive tackles last season.
A second-round pick out of Alabama in 2016, Reed is eligible for a contract extension, having played the requisite three seasons. His suspension will cost him roughly $394,153, which is six game checks from his $1,116,768 base salary.
The Seahawks signed veteran defensive tackle Al Woods in free agency to start alongside Reed at nose tackle. Poona Ford, who showed promise as an undrafted free agent in 2018, is a candidate to replace Reed at the three-technique spot.
ESPN's Adam Schefter contributed to this report.