Barkevious Mingo Arrested On Charges Of Indecency With Child, Contract Terminated With Atlanta Falcons

PublishedJuly 11, 2021 1:48 AM EDT|UpdatedJuly 11, 2021 1:48 AM EDT

***UPDATE*** According to Adam Schefter, the Falcons have terminated their contract with Barkevious Mingo in response to Thursday's felony charges of indecency with a minor.

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Barkevious Mingo was arrested on Thursday for felony charges related to sexual contact with a child.

The charge of indecency could land Mingo in jail for up to 20 years, per Texas penal code.

The 30-year-old veteran was detained this week after second-degree charges of indecency with a minor were filed in the Lone Star state. Mingo was released on Friday after posting bail for $25,000.

Playing for his seventh team in Atlanta, Mingo signed a one-year contract to join the Falcons after spending last season with the Chicago Bears.

The Falcons released a statement regarding Barkevious Mingo on Saturday:

"Our organization became aware of the allegations involving Barkevious Mingo today and are currently gathering information on this incident. The Falcons take the allegations very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation."

Lukas Garcia, Mingo's legal representation, responded to the charge on Saturday afternoon, claiming that the allegation was "completely baseless" and "motivated by money."

The attorney said the following, via NFL.com's Ian Rapoport:

"The allegations out of Tarrant County against my client are completely baseless. Barkevious Mingo is innocent. At this stage, our side has very limited information. What we do know is these allegations are from over two years ago and are completely untrue. Mr. Mingo is the victim of a false claim, and we believe this is motivated by money or some other ulterior motive. We are confident when the truth comes to light, my client will be fully exonerated."

Drafted in 2013 by the Cleveland Browns, Mingo's career as a defensive journeyman landed him with the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots in 2017, a season that culminated into defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28.