Damon Arnette is getting a second chance at an NFL life.
The 28-year-old cornerback, released by the Raiders in 2021 after posting a video to social media in which he brandished weapons and threatened an unnamed individual’s life, signed on with the Houston Texans on Friday.
A first-round pick in the 2020 draft, Arnette was charged in a hit-and-run incident before posting and deleting the video.
“From my perspective, he’s a very talented young man with a good heart,” then-Raiders GM Mike Maycock said. “He cleans up his life, I know he can make a living in the NFL. But not now, with the Raiders.”
His legal woes continued as he sought work, getting jailed in Las Vegas in January 2022 — nine days after signing a futures contract with the Chiefs — on two counts of ᴀssault with a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly weapon, carrying or concealing a gun without a permit, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana or cannabis.
While the case was dropped by Clark County officials, he agreed to a plea deal after a grand jury later indicted him on the weapons-related charges.
He was arrested on gun and meth charges in a February 2024 incident.
“I had to take a look in the mirror,” Arnette told KPRC in May. “I had to make some serious life changes. And the main thing that I did was I invited back my support system, my foundation, and that’s probably something I will never let go of again because I see how dangerous it is to be trying to navigate in a new world, new environment, new situations with no experience. So, I definitely learn from that end.”
The Ohio State product caught NFL teams’ eyes by spending the 2025 season with the UFL’s Roughnecks.
His 19 tackles, sack and interception were enough to pique the interest of the Texans.
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Arnette called this past spring season of football “the best version of myself that I’ve ever been.”
His run-ins with the law aren’t entirely behind him, however.
Earlier this month, Arnette was ordered to pay a dancer $78,000 after she accused him of hitting her and smashing her head into the ground at a March 2023 party.
The Texans told ESPN they have “no comment” on his legal history.
