Panthers’ Damien Wilson Accused of Threatening to Kill Ex-Girlfriend

Damien Wilson
James Gilbert/Getty Images
Warner Todd Huston

Carolina Panthers linebacker Damien Wilson was arrested last week in Texas and charged with assault after allegedly threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, according to reports.

Wilson allegedly attacked ex-girlfriend Ryan Sokolosky with a tire iron and destroyed her laptop computer in a drunken rage after she told him she was breaking up with him.

The player, who only just signed with the Panthers last month, was arrested in Frisco, Texas, last week and charged with assault with bodily injury of a family member, according to a police report revealed by the Dallas Morning News.

Sokolosky said she first started dating Wilson in March of 2020, but they broke up for a short time, getting back together in February. She added that the final straw was when she caught him with another woman.

The woman also alleged that after she removed her belongings from Wilson’s home, he followed her back to her apartment, damaged her patio, took her pets, and threatened to kill her.

She also told police that Wilson chased her into her apartment and tried to strangle her. He then smashed her laptop to the ground, wrapped in a blanket. She added that at first, she feared her cat was wrapped up in the blanket when Wilson smashed it to the ground.

“I was screaming like I’m being skinned alive,” Sokolosky said.

“He thinks all of it’s a joke because he’s rich and thinks he’s going to get out of everything,” Sokolsky added.

Wilson’s attorney denied the whole story and said they look forward to proving his innocence in court.

The team told the media that it is aware of the charges but that no immediate actions are being contemplated at this time.

This is not Wilson’s first arrest. In 2017 he was arrested after a man accused him of brandishing a rifle at him outside Frisco’s Toyota Stadium after a woman said he backed his vehicle into hers in the parking lot. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, but a grand jury declined to indict him.

The 29-year-old, 6-foot-1, 245-pound player signed a two-year deal with the Panthers this year. He was first drafted in 2015 in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys and played four seasons there. Wilson moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, winning a Super Bowl. He appeared in 17 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season and earned 106 tackles and three sacks.

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