Buckeye Nation got hit with tragic news today, as former Ohio State and NFL star Darron Lee found himself in a very serious legal bind. Word is, he could face time behind bars.

The former linebacker was just arrested in Tennessee and is facing a first-degree mur**r charge along with a charge for tampering with evidence. This all went down on the afternoon of February 5th, when police were called to a home in Ooltewah for a “CPR in progress” report. Unfortunately, they found Lee’s girlfriend dead at the scene from injuries that looked like a homicide. Lee got taken into custody right then and there.

This situation is a graveyard especially because Lee was already on thin ice with the law. Just about a year ago, he took a plea deal for a domestic violence case involving his mother and the mother of his child from incidents back in 2023.

He ended up with a two-year probation sentence that wasn’t supposed to end until 2027. Because of these new mur**r charges, he is currently being held in the Hamilton County Jail without bond, and his first big court date is set for this coming Wednesday, February 11.

For those who followed his football days, it’s a shocking fall from grace. Lee wasn’t no scrub or a benchwarmer. The Buckeyes LB was a big part of the 2014 Ohio State National Championship. Matter of fact, he was even named the Defensive MVP of the Sugar Bowl that year.

Lee racked up 147 tackles, 12 sacks, and 27.5 tackles for loss during his short but legendary career in Scarlet and Gray. He also had a real knack for finding the end zone, too, scoring three defensive touchdowns. But out of all, he was known for having freakish speed. He even ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Much faster than most running backs and wide receivers at the time. He was so good that the New York Jets picked him in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. What a shame, considering how great of an athlete he was in Columbus.

He spent several seasons in the pros, even winning a Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. As per reports, he hasn’t been active in the league since 2021. Nonetheless, if you look back at the last couple of years, there were several warning signs.

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Lee’s 2022 arrest

Lee allegedly assaulted his mother after she told him he needed to leave the house. Police reports state he pushed her against a wall, physically assaulted multiple times, causing injuries that required hospital treatment. Along with the assa**t charges, he had a history of drug-related issues. During his arrest, officers also found him in possession of cocaine.

While investigating that April attack, police uncovered a second incident from October 2022 involving the mother of his son. In that case, Lee accused of physically assaul***g the woman again. He had even missed some of his court dates in the past, leading to warrants for his arrest before he finally settled things with the 2025 plea deal.

Right now, authorities in Tennessee are still investigating the details of what happened at the house in Ooltewah. They’ve mentioned that more charges could be on the way depending on what else they find. For now, the local community and the sports world are just waiting to see what happens when he finally stands before a judge this week.