July 12 (UPI) — The Atlanta Falcons have terminated their contract with linebacker Barkevious Mingo after Texas police charged him with indecency with a child.
“After being made aware today of allegations involving Barkevious Mingo and gathering information on the matter, the Atlanta Falcons have terminated his contract,” the football team said in a brief statement on Sunday.
Mingo, 30, turned himself in to the authorities on Thursday and was released on a $25,000 bond, the Arlington Police Department in Texas said in a statement, saying his arrest “stems from an investigation that the department is conducting.”
“Due to the nature of the charges and age of the victim, no additional information is releasable at this time,” the department said.
Lukas Garcia, Mingo’s attorney, denied the allegations against his client in a statement to the NFL Network.
“The allegations out of Tarrant County against my client are completely baseless. Barkevious is innocent,” Garcia said. “At this stage, our side has very limited information. What we do know is these allegations are from over two years ago and are completely untrue. Mr. Mingo is the victim of a false claim, and we believe this is motivated by money or some other ulterior motive.”
Mingo, a former sixth overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2013, has played for six teams during his eight-year NFL career, most recently with the Chicago Bears during the 2020 season where he played in 16 games.
The Atlanta Falcons signed the former Louisiana State University player to a one-year deal in March.
