Last May, the Atlanta Falcons selected Notre Dame linebacker Prince Shembo despite an accusation of sexual assault of a Notre Dame student who took her own life 10 days after she reported the incident.
On Friday, the Atlanta Falcons released the 2014 rookie after he was accused of killing his then-girlfriend's dog.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday night that an attorney for Shembo said the player kicked the dog after the dog bit him. Shembo cried after being arrested for killing the dog and learning of his release from the Falcons, attorney Jeremy Frolich said.
"He didn't mean to kill the dog," Froelich told reporters outside the Gwinnett County jail, according to the AJC.
Froelich added that Shembo owns a dog and has never hurt it.
According to a necropsy at the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter, "the dog had a fractured rib, fractured liver, abdominal hemorrhage, thoracic hemorrhage, extensive bruising and hemorrhage in the muscles in her front leg and shoulders, head trauma, hemorrhage and edema in lungs, hemorrhage between the esophagus and trachea, and hemorrhage in the left eye with internal injuries, police said. Investigators believe Shembo kicked the dog, his arrest warrant states."
Denicia Williams called police on April 19 to report that Shembo, her former boyfriend, killed her Yorkshire dog four days earlier. She said the dog went to him, and she left the dog unattended with Shembo.
When she returned, the dog was unresponsive. She took the dog to an animal hospital where it died shortly after its arrival. She alleged that Shembo made comments about killing the dog the next day and she broke up with him.
The Falcons, who have a bit of a history with players and dog-killing, wasted no time in releasing Shembo, who had 59 tackles last season, after learning of his arrest.
"We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo," the team said in a released statement via email. "We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo."
Friday's incident included a report of a prior allegation of sexual assault against Shembo during his time at Notre Dame. Lizzy Seeberg, a freshman at St. Mary's College, wrote a letter to Notre Dame campus police alleging that Shembo sexually assaulted her in his room.
According to the National Catholic Reporter, Notre Dame had not talked to Shembo 10 days after the allegation and was not planning to do so for another five days. Seeberg committed suicide after the 10 days.
In the absence of the only witness in the case, a local prosecutor declined to bring charges against Shembo.
"Pretty much it was an unfortunate event," Shembo told reporters after being drafted, according to the AJC. "My name was pretty much cleared. It's behind me now. I just want to focus on playing football for the Atlanta Falcons."
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