A fight over a phone landed Jonathon Cooper and his girlfriend in the same jail: Cheating allegations explained

Denver's star pass rusher is in legal trouble just as the NFL season approaches. The twist? Both sides got cuffed.Jonathon Cooper, the Denver Broncos' $60 million edge rusher, was arrested Thursday night on domestic violence and criminal mischief charges, and it gets messier from there. His girlfriend was arrested on the exact same charges. Yes, both of them.Cooper, 28, was taken into custody by the Parker Police Department at 11:16 p.m. Thursday and booked into the Douglas County jail at 2:38 a.m. Friday. He faced two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief. Bond was set at $1,000. A follow-up hearing is scheduled for Monday, when he's expected to enter a plea. After a Friday morning court appearance, he was released on a personal recognizance bond.According to an arrest affidavit obtained by 9News, this whole thing started over a cell phone. Cooper's girlfriend tried to grab his phone, allegedly over cheating allegations. He allegedly tried to keep it. Things escalated from there.By the end of the night, both Cooper and his girlfriend were booked into the same jail on matching charges, domestic violence and criminal mischief. Whatever was on that phone, it had quite the evening.This isn't just a PR headache. The NFL's personal conduct policy has specific teeth when it comes to domestic violence, we're talking multi-game suspensions, regardless of how the court case plays out.For Cooper, the timing couldn't be worse. He signed a four-year, $60 million extension with the Broncos back in November 2024, a deal that made him one of Denver's highest-paid defenders. He had 8 sacks and 50 combined tackles last season and was a key piece of the defense that carried the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game. He's not just depth, he's a cornerstone.The Broncos issued a brief statement: "We are aware of the matter and gathering more information."Translation: they're lawyering up and waiting to see how bad this gets.Cooper is a 2021 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State, one of the great draft steals of his class. Five years later, he's the face of Denver's pass rush. Now he's also facing a conduct investigation from the league, a court date on Monday, and the kind of offseason headlines no franchise wants in June.All over a phone.