Texas A&M football: Tyrel Dodson signs Bills contract amid controversy

Former Texas A&M football linebacker Tyrel Dodson had a run-in with police late last month, but still signed his contract with the Bills despite potential issues.

Tyrel Dodson was one of the better defensive players for the Texas A&M football team over the previous two seasons. After his scintillating sophomore season in which he had 104 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions and eight passes defended, there was some speculation he could be a day two pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Dodson was still very much an important part of the 2018 defense which improved dramatically under first-year coach Mike Elko, but his numbers dipped and concerns over his size hampered even a good showing at the 2019 NFL Combine. He ended his junior season with 70 tackles, seven tackles for loss, half a sack, one interception and three passes defended.

It was a surprise, then, when Dodson actually declared for the draft after his junior year. One wouldn’t have blamed him for coming out if he had a repeat of his sophomore year, but that simply wasn’t the case. His stock plummeted and he wound up going undrafted. The Buffalo Bills picked him up as a free agent.

However, his time in the NFL was put in serious jeopardy when it was reported he had been arrested after an incident with his girlfriend at a Scottsdale nightclub.

Police report from the incident involving Bills LB Tyrel Dodson shows he was arrested for domestic violence, disorderly conduct and damage to property. He allegedly shoved his girlfriend against the wall and slapped her in the face. He's been back at OTAs this week.
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) May 30, 2019

The NFL is cracking down on domestic violence of late, so one was forced to wonder if his career would be over before it even started. There should be no place for domestic violence anywhere in society.

However, Dodson recently shared the below photo on his Instagram account and received an outpour of positive messages from former teammates, including Anthony Hines III, Charles Oliver, and Cullen Gillaspia, among others, plus other current NFL players.

The investigation is still on going and Dodson still has to appear in court for the incident, but it seems the Bills would not have allowed him to sign a contract if they expected a negative outcome.

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You couldn’t have found a better person on campus in Dodson’s time at Texas A&M. He was constantly in the news for helping others and just being an all-around good dude. I think it would shock anyone who knew him if these allegations were true.