As the football world counts down to Super Bowl Sunday, devastating news has cut through the usual buzz. Authorities have arrested former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee and charged him with the murder of his girlfriend.

According to TMZ Sports, police apprehended Lee at the location when paramedics could not resuscitate a female victim. She died Thursday in Ooltewah, a small community just outside Chattanooga.

“Preliminary findings indicate the victim’s death was the result of a homicide,” WTVC-TV also wrote in its report. “The victim’s boyfriend, Darron Lee, was identified as the suspect and taken into custody at the scene.”

Reports from various news sources indicated that police were sent to a residence close to Ooltewah, a location approximately two and a half hours from Nashville, after a call concerning CPR being performed. When the police got there, they discovered the victim and started trying to save her life. However, despite these attempts, officials reported that she eventually died from her wounds.

Soon after, detectives began their investigation, and based on early evidence, officials concluded the death was a homicide. Lee was formally identified as the suspect and was then taken into custody at the scene.

As per TMZ Sports, “Lee has reportedly been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. According to jail records, he is being held without bond and has a court appearance scheduled for this coming Wednesday.”

However, this isn’t the first time Lee has faced legal issues.

Darron Lee’s NFL career and legal issues

After starring at The Ohio State University and winning the national championship in 2014, the New York Jets selected Darron Lee with the 20th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. During three seasons with the Jets, he totaled 241 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and four sacks.

However, off-field issues quietly followed him as his run with the Jets ended after a four-game suspension in 2018 for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. Still, Lee landed on his feet the following year.

In 2019, the Jets traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2020 sixth-round pick, giving him a fresh start in the city of fountains. He went on to be part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV championship roster, although he remained inactive for the title game.

After that, his career started to drift. Although Lee joined the Buffalo Bills in 2020, he only played in two games and struggled to secure a defined role. Then, in 2021, he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders but did not appear in any games.

Since then, he has continued to face legal issues. In 2023, Lee faced arrest for assault and violence. In a separate incident detailed in an arrest report, he allegedly threw a phone at a different woman and assaulted her.

So now, as everything unfolds, it is fair to wonder where his story goes from here.