BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens said Friday they are aware of Rashod Bateman's arrest in June in Georgia over a domestic violence incident and have been in contact with their receiver.
The Ravens have informed the NFL, and league spokesman Brian McCarthy says the case is under review.
“We notified the league office and have been cooperating throughout the process,” the team said in a statement. “As this is a pending legal matter, we will not have further comment.”
According to TMZ, Bateman was arrested after smashing a window of the vehicle being driven by the mother of his child, with the 3-month-old inside. TMZ cited court documents that said the victim told authorities the incident happened around 6 a.m. on June 6.
According to the arrest warrant, Bateman used an object to smash the driver's side window, and the shattered glass caused multiple small lacerations to the victim’s face.
Bateman's representatives said the receiver turned himself in to the Walton County sheriff's office the same day. A court later granted Bateman's request to lift a no-contact order after he said the victim indicated she did want to have contact with him.
“It is unfortunate that a personal family situation has been taken completely out of context for sensational reasons,” Bateman attorney Jordan Siev said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We will let the court process play out and the facts will come out at that time.”
Walton County authorities didn’t immediately respond to a message from the AP.
Last year, Bateman signed a $37 million, three-year contract extension coming off career bests of 756 yards and nine touchdowns receiving in 2024. The 26-year-old Georgia native who played in college at Minnesota dropped off to a career-low 224 yards with two TDs last season.
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FILE - Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) works out during the team's NFL football training camp, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough,File)
McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — Karmelo Anthony had planned to testify during his Texas murder trial over a track meet stabbing but backed out amid sudden concerns that prosecutors would raise potentially damaging evidence about the teenager's past, one of his lawyers said Friday.
Anthony, 19, is asking for a new trial after a jury in June sentenced him to 35 years in prison for killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, who attended a rival school and was stabbed during a confrontation at a track competition last year. Since then, the case has stirred tensions over race and led to both families becoming targets of harassment.
During the second day of a hearing near Dallas, defense attorney Toby Shook said the teenager's plans to testify unraveled over worries that prosecutors would renege on an agreement to not present evidence that might further inflame an already highly charged case.
“It was essential that the jury hear Karmelo and hear his explanation,” Shook said.
The hearing concluded Friday evening. It was not clear when state District Judge Michael Chitty would issue a ruling on whether to grant a new trial.
Prosecutor Bill Wirskye has defended the trial as fair and said the possibility of Anthony testifying wasn't part of the original agreement with the defense. Anthony's attorneys say it should have been obvious the teenager would want to explain to jurors himself how he acted in self-defense.
Defense attorney Russell Wilson, who did not represent Anthony at the criminal trial, said an argument that erupted between the legal teams over the agreement happened as Anthony was about “make the biggest decision of his life” and impacted his due process and decision to not testify.
Wilson also noted to the judge at even at the end of the hearing that there was still confusion over the agreement.
Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Among the details that jurors never heard because of the agreement, according to attorneys on both sides, were that Anthony once sent a text message fantasizing about stabbing someone and Metcalf had a history of fighting and using racist language.
During the trial, lawyers on both sides told jurors the tragedy had nothing to do with race, but social media posts amplified the killing nationwide in racial terms.
In an interview with NewsNation, Metcalf's father, Jeff Metcalf, said he supported the original agreement between prosecutors and defense attorneys. He said information about his son's juvenile history does not change what happened the day his son was killed.
“We all want our children to be the best they can be, and obviously, we all fall short,” Jeff Metcalf told NewsNation. “It still doesn’t change the facts of the case.”
Metcalf's parents and Anthony's parents have attended both days of the hearing.
Anthony's attorneys have also told the judge he should get a new trial because of errors that limited access to the proceedings. They have argued that the case’s original judge allowed a “shadow docket” that shielded character information about both sides.
The trial in June took place amid heightened court security. Wirskye said there had been threats against a judge who granted Anthony bond, fake autopsy reports circulating online and attempts to intimidate witnesses. Parents of some witnesses also filed protective orders for their children because of threats, according to Wirskye.
Anthony secured one legal victory this week when the judge who presided over his trial was removed from the case. Chitty was then assigned to consider the motion for a retrial.
Anthony’s attorneys had asked for state District Judge John Roach to be removed in part because of a TV interview in which Roach said jurors “got it right” when they delivered a guilty verdict.
Associated Press writer Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed.
This booking photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, shows Karmelo Anthony. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)
