Seattle Seahawks host tryout for Terrion Arnold despite pending legal issues

RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks hosted cornerback Terrion Arnold for a tryout on Sunday despite the fact the former first-round pick and Detroit Lions cornerback is facing charges for felony kidnapping and armed robbery in Florida.

Arnold was released by the Detroit Lions in June after he was officially charged in a plot to detain, rob and beat three people whom he believed had stolen goods and cash from him, according to the Florida State Attorney's Office.

Arnold was one of three players Seattle worked out, including linebackers Cam Riley and Aaron Smith. Arnold is easily the most notable of the trio.

"We had him in for a great visit, a great tryout," head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday. "It’s a situation where there’s other things surrounding it as well. We’re aware of that. We’re working through the situation right now. I enjoyed meeting him and he enjoyed being here. We’ll see how it goes."

Arnold has an arraignment scheduled for Thursday.

The backstory:

Arnold is officially facing charges of kidnapping, armed robbery, and conspiracy, which carry a sentence of up to life in prison, if convicted.

Three teenagers were reportedly held at gunpoint, battered, and pistol-whipped by a number of assailants in a Tampa apartment on February 4. The altercation came three days after high-end items and cash were reported stolen from an Airbnb rental in Largo.

Six total people were charged alongside Arnold: Boakai Hilton, Lyndell Hudson, Freddie Lee Hughes III, Christion Williams, Arianna Del Valle and Jasmine Randazzo. Del Valle and Randazz pleaded guilty to their roles in the attack on June 24 and agreed to cooperate with authorities. Randazzo was sentenced to four years with six years of probation, and Del Valle is awaiting sentencing at a later date.

Arnold is accused of coordinating the incident, believing the victims had stolen more than $200,000 worth of his personal items. The Attorney's Office said there is no evidence to support the victims' involvement in the theft.

"No one has the right to take the law into their own hands. A dispute over missing property does not justify kidnapping, violence, or retaliation. This arrest is the result of months of investigative work and collaboration between the Tampa Police Department and our prosecutors. We will continue to pursue justice for the three victims by holding everyone accountable for their roles in this crime," State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in June.

Additional investigation into cell phone evidence and testimony provided by co-defendants supported the charges against Arnold.

Local perspective:

The Seahawks have multiple connections to Arnold from his time at the University of Alabama. Seahawks defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Karl Scott was a cornerback coach at Alabama from 2018-20 and helped recruit Arnold to Tuscaloosa.

He also played alongside cornerback Josh Jobe and quarterback Jalen Milroe.

."Anybody that has a relationship with anybody that we’re going to bring in, we’re going to seek that counsel. This is an example of that," Macdonald said.

"We’re going to do our due diligence. There’s a lot of people in Terrion’s corner that we respect in terms of the type of guy he is. We’re going to work through all of that, and I trust our people to make the best decision for us. We also think this is a great place to come work too, and that people can be the best version of themselves if given the opportunity. Works both ways."

The Seahawks lost cornerback Riq Woolen over the offseason with Jobe expected to step into the full-time starting role alongside Devon Witherspoon. Third-year corner Nehemiah Pritchett has been getting most of the No. 3 cornerback reps with third-round pick Julian Neal sidelined most of training camp with an injury. Veteran addition Noah Igbinoghene and rookies Andre Fuller and Michael Dansby are among those fighting for depth spots at cornerback.

"I have a ton of confidence in our defensive back room," Macdonald said. "This is a situation of; we’re in everything all the time. We’re always trying to make our team the best we can make it and whether or not Terrion ends up here or works out or it doesn’t, we’ll keep on rolling the way we know how."

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