A former Ohio State University football player who became a third-round NFL draft pick pleaded guilty Monday to a felony charge for strangling a woman he knew.
Derek Ross, 45, pleaded guilty on Monday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to strangulation. As part of a plea agreement, a sexual assault charge was dismissed.
Common Pleas Judge Carl Aveni will sentence Ross in March. Ross is currently being held in the Franklin County jail. He faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
Court records say around 1:30 a.m. on April 5, 2024, Ross returned to his Hilliard home “extremely intoxicated.” A woman who lived in the home told Hilliard police that Ross picked her up and threw her onto a bedroom floor after another scuffle on a staircase.
Derek Ross (7), Mike Doss (2) and Donnie Nickey (25) upend University of Michigan receiver Calvin Bell in the Ohio State University Buckeyes’ victory in 2001.
Court records say the woman, who went to the Hilliard police station several hours later to report the incident, had visible bruises and injuries on her arms. The woman also told police that Ross had put his hands around her neck and choked her to the point of losing consciousness.
Court records say the woman had visible marks on her neck. Hilliard police went to the home and arrested Ross without incident.
Ross was released from bond on house arrest, court records show, but that bond was revoked in November after another woman called Columbus police.
Court records say that woman told police she and Ross had gotten into an argument after going out for several drinks at a bar and Ross had put his hands around her neck, choking her.
A strangulation charge was filed against Ross for that incident in Franklin County Municipal Court, records show, but was later dismissed.
Ross played cornerback for Ohio State University between 1999 and 2001. During his time at Ohio State, Ross had several issues, including academic ineligibility and missing spring practices because of misdemeanor traffic violations and giving false information to police.
After his junior season, Ross declared for the NFL draft, where he was selected in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys. Ross struggled in the NFL, getting released by the Cowboys in 2003 and then signing with four other teams for short stints, including a 24-hour tenure with the New Orleans Saints, who released Ross after he missed a flight to join the team.
Since his time in the NFL, Ross has had a number of legal issues in several states, including convictions for felony domestic violence in Ohio, jumping bail during a drug arrest in Texas and trafficking in marijuana in his home state of South Carolina, court records show.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Ohio State cornerback admits strangling woman during argument
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