The NFL placed Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross on the commissioner's exempt list, according to multiplereports on Friday.
With the designation, Ross is not allowed to practice or attend games. It's a form of paid leave after the 23-year-old was arrested Monday on a felony charge of criminal damage.
He was apprehended on Monday in Shawnee, Kansas. The initial felony charge was for damage more than $25,000, per multiple outlets including KMBC. Hours before his scheduled Tuesday afternoon hearing, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office booking report was amended to a charge for damage of between $1,000 and $25,000, which is a misdemeanor according to KCTV. He also faces a misdemeanor battery charge.
The items in the property damage charge include a laptop, a computer monitor, an iPhone, a gold bracelet and a car key, police told ESPN.
Ross pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges during his first appearance in Johnson County District Court on Tuesday, according to the Kansas City Star
He was subsequently released from custody on $2,500 bond. He was also given stipulations, including no contact with the alleged victim, no alcohol or drug usage and no firearms.
In Kansas, the battery charge against Ross is defined as "knowingly causing physical contact with a person with whom the offender is involved or has been involved in a dating relationship or a family or household member, when done in a rude, insulting or angry manner."
Under the league's Personal Conduct Policy, misdemeanor charges and allegations of violence do not exclude someone from paid leave. He will continue to receive his $750,000 salary. If the Chiefs opted to cut Ross, he wouldn't be paid until his legal situation concluded.
When Ross made the Chiefs 53-man roster this season, it seemed to be the start of a potential comeback story. He was a star during his freshman year of college at Clemson, but sustained a pivotal neck injury that sidelined him for a season and led him to go undrafted. He then missed the full 2022 season with the Chiefs due after undergoing foot surgery.
Ross has three catches for 34 yards in seven games this season.