Vikings cornerback Jeff Gladney indicted on felony assault charge

Aug. 3—Vikings cornerback Jeff Gladney has been indicted by a grand jury in Dallas on a felony charge related to an alleged assault in April involving a woman.

Court records showed Tuesday that the grand jury, which conducted a hearing last Thursday, returned a "true bill" on Gladney. Tasha Tsiaperas, community and media relations manager for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, confirmed that means Gladney has been indicted on a charge of family violence by impeding breath..

For there to be an indictment, nine of 12 jurors from the grand jury needed to rule for an indictment. Gladney will be arraigned in court, and a trial date set. He has been away from the Vikings since his April 5 arrest on a charge of third-degree family violence assault for an alleged incident on April 2.

The alleged victim filed a civil lawsuit against Gladney last week, seeking at least $1 million in damages. According to the suit, the woman alleges Gladney beat her for more than two hours and then tried to bribe her to stay silent with a $1,000 necklace from Tiffany's and a gift certificate to a spa.

Vikings president Mark Wilf said Tuesday the team continues to gather facts in the case.

"Obviously, allegations like these are very disturbing and something that's concerning to us as ownership and to our organization," Wilf said. "Right now, our GM (Rick Spielman) and our coach (Mike Zimmer) and we're talking to the league and really are working through to understand this better. And as we get more information in the coming hours, we'll let you know where we go on this. But obviously the allegations are very disturbing."

According to the arrest affidavit, Gladney, in an April 2 dispute with his then-girlfriend in a vehicle over messages in a cell phone, allegedly tried "shoving (her) face," tried "pulling (her) by her hair" and struck her "with closed fists" in the ribs, stomach and back. The affidavit said Gladney later allegedly "began strangling (her) by the neck" and "dragged (her) across the ground" while the vehicle they were in was moving.

The affidavit said that the alleged "strangling" resulted in having "impeded her breathing for approximately five seconds."

Gladney was released on a $10,000 bond after his initial arrest. If convicted, he could face from two to 10 years in prison.