A former NFL player is facing serious charges after authorities say his girlfriend was killed in Tennessee.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday, Feb. 6, that Darron Lee, 31, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Deputies responded Thursday afternoon, Feb. 5, to a home in the 7500 block of Snow Cone Way after receiving a call reporting CPR in progress, officials said in a statement shared on the department’s Facebook page. Despite attempts to save her, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said a preliminary review indicated her death was consistent with a homicide.
The victim’s name and age were not released as authorities worked to notify her next of kin.
Police identified Lee as the woman’s boyfriend and said he was taken into custody at the scene. Investigators noted that additional charges could be filed as the case continues.
The arrest comes after previous legal trouble. In 2023, Lee was arrested following allegations that he pushed a woman “against the wall, throwing her to the floor and striking her face and head 8 to 9 times with his closed fists,” according to Tennessee’s News Channel 9.
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He is also accused in a separate incident in which he allegedly threw a cell phone at another woman “which struck her head, causing her ear to bleed,” and later grabbed her neck while punching a pillow near her head—actions that reportedly left red marks on her neck, the station reported.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that an April 2023 incident involved a female relative, and that Lee later accepted a plea deal in Franklin County Municipal Court. Under that agreement, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges—possessing a counterfeit controlled substance and attempted assault—in February 2025, avoiding a domestic violence conviction.
Lee played college football at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015, according to Sports Illustrated. He entered the NFL after being selected by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, playing there through 2018. He later spent brief time with the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s not immediately clear whether Lee has an attorney. A representative for him could not be reached for comment.
