Last week, news hit that Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers was being investigated for an alleged domestic assault, Baltimore County Police confirmed to The Baltimore Banner. He hadn’t been charged with a crime but was certainly under investigation according to multiple reports. I
Police told the Banner that it had been made aware of an alleged assault in the Owings Mills, Maryland, area on Jan. 21, the day following the Ravens’ divisional round victory over the Houston Texans, though a spokesman told the Banner that additional details would not be released because the matter was still pending.
According to the Banner, the investigation also involves a police department on Acton, Massachusetts, which also confirmed its awareness of the allegations. Zay Flowers played college football at Boston College, which is located approximately 25 miles from Acton.
The Baltimore Ravens have had a fairly strict zero-tolerance policy for players accused of domestic violence since former Ravens running back Ray Rice was charged with assaulting his then-fiancee in 2014. It is not known at this time whether the Ravens were made aware of the allegation prior to the game, but Flowers played in the AFC title game against the Kansas City Chiefs six days after the alleged assault.
The Ravens released a statement on Thursday afternoon (via Fox Baltimore): “We are aware of the report regarding Zay Flowers. We take these matters seriously and will have no further comment at this time.”
Baltimore Ravens Get News Zay Flowers Is Cleared From Domestic Assault Investigation
On Tuesday, Baltimore County police say they have closed without charges a domestic violence investigation that allegedly involved Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers.
New documents show that a woman reported to police in Acton, Mass. that she had been involved in a domestic incident involving an NFL player, and that the player’s brother had drawn a firearm. She declined to identify him and said she was in fear, records show, but police conducted social media searches to determine who she was “associated with.”
“She stated that she was physically assaulted which left her with multiple bruises,” police wrote in a report. But when contacted by Baltimore County police later in the month, she said there were no further issues, nor did she disclose further details relating to the original report.
Police wrote that they contacted an attorney, presumably for Zay Flowers, in an attempt to speak with him. The attorney told them he “would not avail himself at this time in reference to this report.” The investigation was deemed suspended on Feb. 16.
The county police department previously acknowledged an investigation involving the Baltimore Ravens star rookie, as did the police department in Acton, Mass., though neither released details. Baltimore County police dispatch recordings also showed that on Jan. 16 a 911 call from a distressed woman was geolocated to the house next door to Flowers’ Owings Mills home, where neighbors also reported seeing officers that day.
On the recording reviewed by The Baltimore Banner, a dispatcher can be heard calling for an officer to check a location in Flowers’ block. The address is next door to Flowers’ home, though the dispatcher noted the location was determined using geolocation technology.
Late Friday, after receiving multiple inquiries from The Baltimore Banner about that the investigation and any prior 911 calls, the department issued a statement that said: “The department has an open investigation and is working to determine if any crime has occurred. Any statement that confirms Zay Flowers as a suspect is inaccurate.”
Police in Acton, Massachusetts, also acknowledged a domestic violence incident report related to an alleged incident in Baltimore County last month that involved Flowers, but declined to release the report, citing state laws that keep confidential communications between victims and police in cases of domestic violence or sexual assault. An Acton Police spokesman also cited the law and declined to answer questions on the matter.
The Baltimore Ravens can now breathe a collective sigh of relief.