DETROIT (AP) - Denver Broncos defensive player Jason Hunter was struck in the left upper chest by a kitchen knife hurled at him by his girlfriend during an argument over cell phones, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press.
Hunter told police the woman waved the knife and told him to stay back before throwing it “on accident” during the morning of April 27, according to the six-page report obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
She then took her boyfriend to receive medical treatment and later was arrested “after being pointed out by hospital security,” the report said.
The officers who wrote the report said the girlfriend was angry about having found a bag of cell phones, which Hunter claimed “were not his and belonged to his boy.”
Detroit police have said only that Hunter had been stabbed and taken to a local hospital for treatment. Hunter’s agent, Robert Walker, said afterward that the player required several stitches.
On Monday, Walker said the five-year pro “is well.” The team declined to discuss specifics of the case.
“Our physicians have been in contact with the physicians who are treating him, but out of respect for his privacy we don’t want to elaborate,” Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth said Monday.
Maria Miller, spokeswoman for the Wayne County prosecutor’s office, said charges have not been brought against the girlfriend. However, she said prosecutors are currently studying evidence and deciding whether to bring charges against a female suspect she would not identify.
Hunter, 27, was injured only days after police in Florida said Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall, a former Broncos player, was stabbed with a kitchen knife by his wife, who said she was acting in self-defense.
Hunter also has played for the Detroit Lions (2009) and Green Bay Packers (2006-08), whom he joined as an undrafted free agent after playing for Appalachian State during its Division I-AA national championship team in 2005.
Hunter was a pleasant surprise at left outside linebacker last year in the Broncos’ 3-4 scheme that is being scuttled this season in favor of the traditional 4-3 defense under new coach John Fox. He had three sacks, forced a fumble and recovered two others, including one he returned for a 75-yard touchdown against Kansas City.
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AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
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Mike Householder can be reached at https://twitter.com/mikehouseholder
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