San Francisco 49ers' Charles Omenihu (94) chases Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke in the first half at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Kansas City defensive end Charles Omenihu received a six-game suspension Friday under the NFL’s personal conduct policy for an incident that occurred last season when he was playing for the 49ers.
Omenihu, 25, was arrested by San Jose police in January with two misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and a misdemeanor count of illegally destroying, removing or obstructing the use of a wireless communication device.
The legal case was apparently resolved when Omenihu reached an agreement in which he pleaded no contest to the third charge, performed community service and underwent 32 hours of counseling, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Court records show no record of a conviction, suggesting that he participated in a diversion program that expunged the conviction upon his completion of the counseling and community service.
After his arrest, a San Jose police investigation determined that Omenihu’s girlfriend called 911 from his Santana Row apartment to report that he was trying to “beat her.” About 30 minutes before that call, police said Omenihu got angry at his girlfriend after searching her phone and finding “a message that upset him on the victim’s Instagram account,” followed by him repeatedly yelling at her and spitting in her face.
Police wrote in an investigative summary submitted to prosecutors that Omenihu told the woman to leave his home, and at one point tried to remove a shirt she was wearing that he claimed belonged to him, and then grabbed her arm and swung her into a wall.
Omenihu reportedly grabbed the woman’s phone as she was making the 911 call and disconnected the call, and as the woman left the apartment, police say Omenihu pushed her into a wall and caused her to fall.
When talking to responding police officers, the woman told them that weeks earlier, she and Omenihu were arguing when he pushed her into a wall, causing injuries to her lower body.
Omenihu can practice with the Chiefs and play in exhibition games but is suspended without pay for the first six weeks and return in Week 7.
Acquired by San Francisco from the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick at the 2021 trade deadline, Omenihu finished the season with the 49ers and played in all 17 regular season games last season. He started three times and finished with 4 1/2 sacks and three tackles for losses. Omenihu was second on the 49ers with 16 quarterback hits.
At the time of the arrest, the 49ers said they were aware of the arrest and were in the process of gathering information. Omenihu had no comment and played in the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia that week.
A free agent following the season, Omenihu signed a two-year contract worth a maximum of $16 million which guaranteed him $8.6 million at signing. The suspension will cost Omenihu six game checks at approximately $60,000 each — the prorated amount of his $1,080,000 salary.
While the Chiefs moved quickly to sign Omenihu in free agency, the 49ers instead signed former Raiders end and first-round draft pick Clelin Ferrell to a one-year contract and also signed Austin Bryant of the Detroit Lions.
Originally published at Jerry McDonald, Robert Salonga