SPOKANE, Wash. — Former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien was arrested Sunday and is expected to face a domestic violence charge after an incident Sunday, KHQ reported.
Rypien, 56, the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI when he starred with the Washington Redskins, was arrested in Spokane, Washington, the television station reported.
A Spokane Police Department spokesman confirmed Rypien was booked on a fourth-degree assault and domestic violence charge, KHQ reported. He will appear before a judge Monday morning, the television station reported.
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According to police, officers arrived at a North Spokane location at 5:30 p.m. to find Rypien standing outside a bank while his wife, Danielle, was lying on the grass, KHQ reported.
A fire crew examined Danielle Rypien, who did not require medical attention, the television station reported. After Spokane police spoke with Mark Rypien, he was placed in handcuffs and arrested.
Rypien also had an episode of domestic violence with his wife in November 2017, according to a police report obtained by KHQ. Rypien admitted to the violence and blamed it on new medication he was taking to battle his mental issues.
The charges were dropped, and the case was eventually dismissed.
Rypien starred at Shadle Park High School in Spokane and played collegiately at Washington State University. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL draft and played for the Redskins from 1987 to 1993. He also played for Cleveland, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Indianapolis before retiring in 2001.
Rypien led the Redskins to a 37-24 victory against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI on Jan. 26, 1992.
Mark and Danielle Rypien released the following written statement Monday afternoon:
In response to Mark being arrested for domestic violence, we want you to know that he did not commit any crime. As a family we are deeply concerned about the situation. Occurrences like this one are often chaotic scenes which are not conducive to revealing full clarity about what actually transpires.
In Washington State, officers are mandated by law to make an arrest in a possible domestic violence case even where there is very little proof that a crime occurred. We will continue to cooperate with authorities to ensure that the truth of Mark's innocence comes out. We both respect law enforcement and we appreciate the officers' efforts to protect Danielle yesterday. We're grateful for their professionalism in treating Mark with respect during a challenging situation. At the same time, we are confident that a complete investigation will result in the dismissal of all charges.
As you may have learned from our public sharing last year, Mark suffers from what we suspect is CTE and that does leave us with some challenging situations to navigate with the assistance of a team of fantastic professionals. This, however, was not one such situation and we are confident that in the coming weeks, clarity about this unfortunate situation will be provided.
Thank you all for your kind messages, we appreciate you and we'll be in touch.
Mark & Danielle Rypien