EmailPrintENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who was arrested twice in a seven-day span in June on domestic violence charges, said Wednesday he had "no excuses'' and that he holds himself accountable.Cooper had been on the commissioner's exempt list since the start of the regular season, so he had been unable to practice with the team or play in any of the Broncos' first six games. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell removed Cooper from the exempt list Friday after Cooper's trial had been moved from November to March. Cooper returned to practice for the first time Wednesday.While he declined to address specific questions about his case, Cooper was asked Wednesday what he would say to people, particularly female fans, as he returns to the field."Honestly ... that's hard, I feel like, relationships are difficult, [but] no excuses on my end,'' Cooper said. "I do apologize for anybody's feelings, truthfully, because you have to be associated with me. I'm a grown man, I'm able to take things on the chin and I understand the concern, the awareness, how serious these matters are, the legal matters will take care of themselves."Nobody's perfect, but there's no excuses,'' Cooper added. "And I do hold myself accountable and things are going to sort themselves out, I promise that.''Cooper was in Douglas County (Colo.) court Oct. 12 for a motions hearing and had a March 2 trial scheduled in his case during that appearance. On Friday, when the NFL announced Cooper had been removed from the exempt list, the league said in a statement the review of Cooper's case "remains ongoing and is not affected by this change to Cooper's roster status.''It means Cooper could still face league discipline at a later date under the NFL's personal conduct policy. The Broncos have a one-week roster exemption for Cooper, but the team would have to make a move this week to add him to the 53-player active roster to have him available to play in games, including Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.The exempt list is designed to remove a player from participation in games and practices while potential violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy are reviewed. Cooper has been paid while on the list."The legal matters ... everything will sort itself out, that process is going to keep going on,'' Cooper said. "That will all get cleared up.''Cooper faces a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation and three misdemeanors, including violating a protection order, after he was arrested June 4 and again June 11 after incidents with his girlfriend. The felony charge stemmed from the first arrest after the results of a forensic examination of Cooper's girlfriend by a nurse.The affidavit that was included in the police investigation into Cooper's first arrest included the report from the medical exam of Cooper's girlfriend. In it a nurse wrote the woman experienced a physical injury from being choked that led to a "substantial risk of death" or substantial risk of injury, including the possibility of traumatic brain injury.Broncos coach Sean Payton has consistently deferred to the NFL's investigation and the legal process when he has discussed the team's approach with the sixth-year linebacker. Payton said the Broncos set guidelines for Cooper after the arrest and that has included therapy."It's a continuous thing with this work, it doesn't just stop now, it's a continuous process,'' Cooper said Wednesday. "It's only going to continue to get better.''Payton has said Cooper has done "the work'' off the field in the wake of the arrests and said after Wednesday's practice Cooper's return to the football part of the equation was "just getting (him) acclimated.''Cooper's time on the exempt list -- the first six weeks of the regular season -- could count toward any league-mandated suspension in the future. However, if suspended, he would have to return the weekly game-checks he received while on the exempt list because suspensions from the personal conduct policy are without pay.The Broncos (4-2) are tied for third in the league in sacks (18), tied for 10th in scoring defense (20.8 points allowed per game) and 8th in defensive EPA (11.96).Cooper was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft and has 31.5 sacks in 81 career games with the Brocnos, including eight sacks last season. He has started every game in each of the last three seasons.
