KENNER, La. - New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Junior Galette was arrested and booked Monday on a charge of simple battery with domestic violence -- a misdemeanor -- stemming from an incident with a 22-year-old woman at his home at the 4400 block of Rue De La Harbor in Kenner, according to Police spokesman Lt. Brian McGregor.
Police responded to a disturbance at Galette's home, arriving at 8:52 a.m., where they discovered the woman outside the resident with apparent injuries to her face.
McGregor said when authorities arrived she was "bleeding from her right ear, her earring was ripped from her ear, and in addition to that, she had some scratches to the right side of her face."
The woman declined medical attention and indicated to authorities she would seek treatment on her own.
"The city of Kenner has always been very strong about enforcing domestic violence laws," McGregor said. "It doesn't matter that he's a Saints player, we handle domestic violence cases with strict (enforcement)... and with visible injuries it's a mandatory arrest."
McGregor said Galette was verbally combative, cursing at officers who informed him he was being arrested.
Terrance Banks, Galette's cousin who is visiting from New Jersey and a former teammate at Temple University, was also taken into custody and booked on charges of simple battery, according to the KPD.
Police said the parties offered conflicting accounts of the incident, as well as Galette's relationship with the woman in question.
The woman claims to have lived with Galette in his previous home in New Orleans for almost two years. And while they're not currently involved in a relationship, the woman told investigators she "does everything for him; cooks, cleans, and whatever else he needs her to take care of."
Galette, meanwhile, insists she is a "dancer" who was simply visiting his new residence in Kenner on Sunday evening. Both parties told investigators that Galette agreed to allow her to stay the night if she would leave in the morning.
But that's where the similarities ended.
The woman told police she woke Galette up to request cab fare, at which point he instructed Banks to "take care of it."
"Then they said they wasn't giving me anything and to leave the house," the woman told police, as recounted in a statement read by McGregor. "We started arguing and Junior pushed me. He pushed me two times trying to get me out the house. And then I fell down, and they both was on me and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't fight both of them.
"Then Terrance picked me up and put me out. I started to dial 911 and Terrance took my phone and wouldn't give it back and I grabbed a knife because I thought they was gonna jump me again. That's when Junior started recording me. When I threw the knife down, Terrance picked me up and put me out and put all my stuff outside the house."
Police say they are in the process of obtaining a search warrant to view the video Galette allegedly recorded on his phone.
Simple battery with domestic violence is defined as "the intentional use of force or violence committed by one household member upon the person of another household member."
WWL-TV legal analyst Chic Foret said Galette is in a much better position in terms of navigating the legal process now that he's facing a municipal charge in Kenner.
"They have domestic abuse programs in place that will allow him to successfully navigate the criminal justice system," Foret said. "I will say that all these cases have gotten exponentially more serious because of all the national media attention that's been drawn to the domestic abuse problem. They take it very seriously in all jurisdictions now, including Kenner."
Galette and Banks were transported to the Kenner Police Department, where they were booked and fingerprinted. Galette was released on a $600 bond, while Banks' was just $300. Both men left inconspicuously some time Monday afternoon.
NFL RESPONSE
Galette became the second NFL player arrested in the last eight days, joining Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jabari Parker, who was arrested on suspicion of DWI on Dec. 29. Prior to that, the NFL had gone 39 days without incident, the longest such streak since at least 2007, when Pro Football Talk began tracking them.
Saints Senior Vice President of Communications Greg Bensel said the team is aware of the incident and currently gathering information.
Galette could face a six-game suspension, the baseline for a first offense under the league's revised personal conduct policy unanimously approved by 32 owners in December. A second offense would now incur a lifetime ban.
The new policy, which takes into account "any aggravating or mitigating factors," promotes the use of independent investigators, and a means by which players can be placed on leave with pay. Players also are subject to discipline even if their cases don't result in a conviction.
The new harsher penalties were imposed in the wake of domestic violence charges by former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, and child abuse charges by Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson.
NFL Comissionar Roger Goodell has admitted to mismanaging those situations, but vowed to learn from his mistakes and strengthen the league's disciplinary apparatus.
The NFL's new policy establishes "clear standards of behavior for all NFL personnel. Clubs are obligated to promptly report any potential violation of the policy that comes to their attention and must fully cooperate with any related law enforcement and NFL investigations. When a potential violation occurs, the NFL will provide evaluation and counseling services for the player or employee, as well as resources to assist victims and families. The NFL will follow a fair and predictable process for investigating the incident and ultimately taking disciplinary action if a violation has occurred."
To view the NFL flow chart describing how the league will handle incidents such as Galette's, click here.
SAINTS INVEST IN GALETTE
Galette has developed into one of the team's most vocal leaders during during his five seasons with New Orleans. In 2014, he was for the first time selected by his teammates as one of the team's two defensive captains -- linebacker Cutis Lofton being the other.
He was the 2013 recipient of the Jim Finks Good Guy Award, given annually by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association in recognition of cooperation with the local media.
Galette signed a three-year, $7.5 million deal in 2013 and then agreed to a four-year, $41.5 million extension ($23 million guaranteed) just prior to the start of the 2014 season. The extension came after Galette's best season as a Saint. In 2013, he had 12 sacks, and was instrumental in helping to lead a defensive resurgence on a unit that just one year prior was statistically the worst in NFL history.
Galette is due to make $15.45 million in salary and bonuses in 2015. If the Saints cut Galette prior to June 1, he would count $16.2 million against the salary cap next season.
The loquacious and amiable pass rusher finished with 10 sacks this past season, two shy of the 12 he needed to trigger a series of bonuses that would have added another $6.5 million of guaranteed money to his new deal.
In five seasons with the Saints, Galette has 128 tackles, 31.5 sacks, two safeties, four passes defensed, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
The Saints signed the Haitian-born Galette as an undrafted free agent out of Stillman College (Ala.) in 2010. In just one season at the Division II school, he earned second-team All-American honors with 56 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
Galette began his collegiate career at Temple University, where in 31 games in three seasons he totaled 139 tackles with 16.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one blocked punt.
However, an incident involving Galette's cousin who was staying with him at the time, essentially put his final collegiate season in jeopardy. Galette was ultimately held accountable by the university for two laptops stolen by his cousin, and faced an eight to 10 game suspension during his senior season. Not wanting to risk missing the majority of the season for a crime in which he had no involvement, Galette transferred to Stillman, where NCAA rules allowed him to play immediately.
Eyewitness News reporter Bill Capo contributed to this report
