Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy released after Texas district attorney declines to pursue charges

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy addresses the media before NFL football practice, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Xavier Worthy was released Saturday after a district attorney in Texas declined to pursue charges against the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver following an arrest in which he had been accused of felony domestic violence.

Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick told the Austin American-Statesman his office had spoken with witnesses and was not accepting the case at this time. He also said Worthy and his lawyers were fully cooperating with the investigation.

Records showed that Worthy had been arrested Friday by deputies and held in the county jail on a charge of assault on a family or household member in which their breath was impeded, or choking in common terms. The online court listing for the case was updated to “dismissed/declined” later Saturday.

Williamson County includes parts of Austin, where Worthy played college football at the University of Texas.

In a statement, Worthy’s attorneys, Chip Lewis and Sam Bassett, said their client was innocent of the charge against him. They said the allegation was made by a female who had been living in Worthy’s home, and that she had been asked to leave the home multiple times over the last two weeks “upon discovery of her infidelity.”

“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 lawyers' statement said. “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. Worthy told law enforcement at the time of the incident he did not want to press charges against the complainant.”

The Chiefs told The Associated Press on Saturday that they were aware of the situation and still gathering information.

Under Texas law, impeding breathing means “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of the person by applying pressure to the person’s throat or neck or by blocking the person’s nose or mouth.”

Worthy was chosen by the Chiefs with the 28th overall pick in last year’s draft after setting the record for the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He got off to a quick start by scoring a pair of touchdowns in his NFL debut, and after a midseason lull, he became the Chiefs' go-to wide receiver as they chased an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title.

Worthy finished with 59 catches for 638 yards and six TDs while running 20 times for 104 yards and three more scores.

He was one of the few bright spots for the Chiefs in a 40-22 loss to Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, too. Worthy caught all eight of his targets for 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns at the Superdome in New Orleans.

The Chiefs came to rely on Worthy in part because of a season-ending injury to wide receiver Rashee Rice, who was coming off a brilliant rookie season of his own. Rice caught 24 passes for 288 yards and two TDs in four games before getting hurt.

Rice and another driver, Theodore Knox, were involved in a high-speed car crash in March 2024 that triggered a chain reaction on a highway in Dallas, close to where he had played college football at SMU. Rice is currently facing at least two civil lawsuits along with numerous criminal charges for his role in the wreck.

Rice turned himself in following the crash, and his attorney, Texas Sen. Royce West, said that the wide receiver admitted that he was driving the Lamborghini involved. Rice also posted on social media that he took responsibility for his role in the crash.

Skretta reported from Kansas City, Missouri. Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano contributed to this report from Houston.