MINNEAPOLIS \u2013 Damon Arnette Jr. was determined to justify the faith the Texans and others have placed in him as he continues his comeback from personal struggles that impacted his life and kept him away from football.<\/p>\n
For the former Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick, a preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings represented a significant milestone in his journey back to the game after years of legal problems and other missteps.<\/p>\n
Now that he has reordered his life by making significant personal changes, Arnette can focus solely on his goal of making the roster and contributing.<\/p>\n
Arnette had one tackle on defense and another tackle on special teams in his debut with the Texans, playing 30 snaps on defense for 45 percent of the total playing time and six snaps on special teams. He hasn\u2019t played in an NFL regular season game since 2021 when the Raiders released him for brandishing an assault rifle on social media and making death threats to a fan trolling his account. Secondary coach Dino Vasso made it a point to remind Arnette about how far he\u2019s come from those dark moments.<\/p>\n
“It feels amazing,\u201c Arnette told KPRC 2. \u201dCoach Dino, he told me it\u2019s been 1,405 days since the last time I played in an NFL game. He let me know that, so let me know how proud he was of me. And I just knew I owed it to everybody that allowed me to be here to just go out there and play my hardest.”<\/p>\n
There was a special teams play that displayed Arnette\u2019s desire to make an impact. Blocked by two Vikings, Arnette went down to the ground before hopping up and getting a piece of the tackle in punt coverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was at gunner, went down there, run came my way, missed the first tackle,\u201d Arnette said. \u201cGot up, set like a pick on me, ran into him and got back up and it was just a hustle play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arnette excelled for the Houston Roughnecks this spring, including a pick-six for a touchdown against the Birmingham Stallions.<\/p>\n
The Texans did their due diligence, talking with the Roughnecks and UFL executive Daryl Johnston before deciding to bring Arnette in for a workout. Then, they signed him to a one-year, $1.03 million contract with no guaranteed money, giving him an opportunity to resurrect his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just so thankful to be here,\u201d Arnette said. \u201cEvery day I\u2019m out here, I just out here having fun. It could\u2019ve went wrong, it could\u2019ve been good, you know what I\u2019m saying? As long as I just go out there and play with my technique, but most importantly, play hard. Can\u2019t go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The arrest record is extensive for Arnette Jr., as are the amount of squandered past opportunities.<\/p>\n
The former Ohio State standout was on the verge of being exiled from professional football when he received a second chance in the United Football League and excelled as a starter for the Roughnecks.<\/p>\n
Arnette told KPRC 2 he has found sobriety and gotten in touch with spirituality while leaning into his family. Jon Gruden, his coach with the Raiders, called Arnette a changed man. And Johnston and Roughnecks officials attested to Arnette changing his past misbehavior and being reliable on and off the field.<\/p>\n
What Arnette does with this opportunity is up to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of thought goes into it,\u201d Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. \u201cYou take all the information into consideration. You go through a pretty extensive vetting process, which we did. I think where Damon is now relative to where he was earlier in his career is a different point. You\u2019re just honest about those conversations. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think Damon is trying to do the right things. Try to put himself in a position to take advantage of his opportunities. We are inclined, if we feel it\u2019s appropriate to give somebody a second chance then we will see how it goes. Damon\u2019s got to earn his opportunity, but he\u2019s been good to work with. He has had a good attitude, good approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnston informed Arnette that he needed more time before he would grant him a second chance in professional football after a series of legal and personal problems had derailed him.<\/p>\n
For Arnette, his path to playing and excelling for the Roughnecks came after hitting rock bottom personally and professionally.<\/p>\n
A year ago, the answer was a firm no when Arnette sought a chance to play in the UFL. The answer changed, he believes, because he displayed improved maturity and determination.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne, I had to take a look in the mirror,\u201d Arnette told KPRC 2. \u201cI had to make some serious life changes. And the main thing that I did was I invited back my support system, my foundation, and that\u2019s probably something I will never let go of again because I see how dangerous it is to be trying to navigate in a new world, new environment, new situations with no experience. So, I definitely learn from that end. I said to coach Johnston, I needed him to tell me no, that I couldn\u2019t play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat hurt my heart, you know what I\u2019m saying? Because I\u2019m thinking I\u2019m doing everything right, but obviously I wasn\u2019t because things just kept happening and I had nobody to blame but myself. I\u2019m always thankful for coach C.J. and coach Johnston. It was just a blessing to be here.”<\/p>\n
A year ago, Johnston wasn\u2019t entirely sold on whether there had been enough personal growth from Damon Arnette Jr. to relaunch his football career.<\/p>\n
This year, Johnston, the UFL executive vice president of football operations and a retired former Dallas Cowboys fullback and lead blocker for Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, became convinced in what he needed to see from Arnette from a maturity standpoint after performing his due diligence and allowed him to play. Arnette capitalized on the opportunity, excelling for the Roughnecks as a starter and returning an interception for a touchdown. He tried out for the Texans and was signed to a contract.<\/p>\n
Johnston told Arnette he\u2019s proud of his progress and is staying on him to make sure he stays on the right path.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put a lot of effort into just making sure that Damon was in the right spot mentally, had put his past behind him,\u201d Johnston told KPRC 2 during a UFL football clinic at TDECU Stadium at the University of Houston. \u201cThere was genuine remorse about what had happened and then you get with the appropriate people to get the facts of the matter and, then, you weigh all those different elements into it. When we got down to it, we really felt that Damon had earned the right to have a second opportunity to change his life around. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we\u2019re very proud of what he\u2019s done with this opportunity. He\u2019s still got a long way to go. I talked to Damon the day he signed with the Texans and said, \u2018Hey, congratulations, that\u2019s great stuff. I know it\u2019s been a long journey, but you are just at the beginning. You\u2019ve got so much work to do.\u2019 And so I\u2019m gonna be on him all the way through training camp, making sure that he\u2019s got a friendly voice talking to him.”<\/p>\n
The Texans, who thoroughly looked into Arnette\u2019s background, weren\u2019t alone in having interest in the former Ohio State standout. The San Francisco 49ers, including general manager John Lynch, reached out to the UFL about Arnette. Another NFL team that displayed interest in Arnette and was exploring the possibility of adding him was the Green Bay Packers, per league sources.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a couple of teams that were reaching out on him,\u201d Johnston said. \u201cHe\u2019s got everything you want, he\u2019s got the length. He\u2019s a former first round draft pick, so the talent is there. It\u2019s really the maturity. Has he learned from what happened to him, his first opportunity when he was in Vegas?<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, it was great to see the Houston Texans call, DeMeco Ryans, because John Lynch in San Francisco was another one that called about him. So you can see that he really fits that style of defense that DeMeco wants to install with the Texans coming from the San Francisco 49ers because those were probably the two busiest teams that were reaching out on Damon\u2019s behalf.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Out of football for three years, Arnette last played in an NFL game in 2021 for the Raiders. He has played in 13 career games with seven starts and 29 tackles, one for a loss and three passes defensed. He was released by Las Vegas on Nov. 8, 2021 after a video was published showing him brandishing firearms and making death threats. No violent act was ultimately committed after Arnette went into a rage after being trolled by a young fan on social media direct messages. <\/p>\n
However, the Raiders felt it was time to move on from Arnette as they were facing a public relations crisis with Arnette\u2019s actions six days after wide receiver Henry Ruggs III caused a car accident that killed a woman and her dog and later pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.<\/p>\n
With the Roughnecks, Arnette didn\u2019t have any issues, according to the team. He drew praise for his work ethic as he arrived early in the morning to start his daily activities routinely at 6 a.m. He finished the season with 35 tackles, one sack and one interception and drew praise as a good teammate.<\/p>\n
“DA is a phenomenal human being,” All-UFL Roughnecks safety Leon O\u2019Neal Jr. told KPRC 2. \u201cI think we go through things in life that we wish we could take back, and emotions can take over and we make bad decisions. I think he\u2019s learning from those every single day. Him being in that room, just seeing the maturity with so much on his plate is really impressive, to be honest with you, and he was a big part of our team this year and why we were successful.”<\/p>\n
A father of two daughters and one son, Arnette expressed gratitude to Roughnecks coach Curtis Johnson and Johnston <\/p>\n
The guidance Arnette has received from Jon Gruden, his former coach in Las Vegas, has been extremely meaningful to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a whole new identity,\u201d Gruden told KPRC 2 in a telephone interview after Arnette agreed to terms. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t look the same. He doesn\u2019t act the same. He\u2019s not the same. He has changed his identity. He changed the circle of people in his life, in a good way. He\u2019s focused. He\u2019s determined. He\u2019s got to make up for some time that he lost. He\u2019s really concentrating on stringing good days together. I\u2019m really proud of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see a guy who has reinvented himself. He has done it very impressively. I hope he continues to do that. We\u2019ll all be able to pull for him. Some of the best stories I\u2019ve been involved in with coaching is seeing guys turn it around from adversity. Darren Waller is a great example. He had problems and fixed himself. So did Maxx Crosby. Damon Arnette can do that as well. Hopefully, this opportunity leads to something great.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Arnette emphasized that he has made significant life changes after dealing with a series of legal problems in the past.<\/p>\n
How Roughnecks corner Damon Arnette Jr learned from past, made \u2018serious life changes\u2019 to become \u2018best version of myself<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m 28 years old right now with three kids, with a mom and dad that loves me and has my back right now,\u201d Arnette told KPRC 2. \u201cWith coaches, I feel like I\u2019ve proved a complete turnaround. All the coaches that have been with me right now, I feel like their words would be more valuable because I\u2019ve said a lot of things in the past. What I would say is what they see on film, that\u2019s me being out of commission for three years,<\/p>\n