Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo has been removed from the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List, the team announced Thursday, two days after a court hearing at which all charges stemming from an Oct. 20 altercation with his girlfriend were dropped.
“Anthony Chickillo has been taken off the Exempt/Commissioner’s List by the NFL Office, effective immediately,” general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement. “The League will continue to conduct an investigation of the incident, and we acknowledge that Anthony could still be subject to discipline by the League Office under the Personal Conduct Policy.”
Chickillo, 26, was arrested Oct. 20 and accused of assaulting his girlfriend, Alysha Newman, 25, after a verbal altercation turned physical at the Lady Luck Casino at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania, according to police (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
Chickillo was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment. Newman was accused of harassment and punching Chickillo in the head.
All charges related to the incident were dropped following Chickillo's and Newman's separate appearances Tuesday morning at a Fayette County court in Uniontown, Pennsylvania (via KDKA.com).
Newman, a world-class pole vaulter from Canada, posted a statement on her verified Instagram account Wednesday, defending the decision to drop all charges:
"Me withdrawing charges does not mean I take domestic violence lightly. There were no payoffs, no behind the scene deals, there has been no contact between Anthony and I since the night of the incident. I do not condone domestic violence from males or females because it is not right and I will forever stand behind that! This incident does not define who I am, I choose to move forward, to focus on me and the next 10 months preparing for the Olympics Games. Part of my choice also means allowing myself to heal, to forgive and grow stronger. Thank you everyone for your support over the last 2 weeks."
To make room for Chickillo on the roster, the Steelers released linebacker Jayrone Elliott.
The Steelers previously had said they would "fully cooperate with the NFL’s investigation."
Any discipline involving the player will be determined the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell.
Chickillo was chosen by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has appeared in three games this season and has 7.5 sacks and nine starts over the past five seasons.
He is under contract with the Steelers through 2020 but has a buyout clause that would cost the team $3 million and count just less than $1.1 million in dead salary cap money.
