Chris Cook was officially charged with felony domestic assault on Tuesday afternoon. The Minnesota Vikings cornerback took to Twitter shortly after being released from the justice system's shackles, apologizing to everyone he could think of, but it sounds like there's still a chance the NFL might decide to suspend him for the incident.
It was the second incident Cook's been involved in over the past year -- the first being a gun incident early in the offseason. That is a huge issue, especially under the watchful eye of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, as the Star Tribune's Paul Walsh reported earlier Tuesday.
Regardless of what happens with the legal proceedings, Cook is almost certain to face punishment from the NFL for being in violation of the league's personal conduct policy. Greg Aiello, the NFL's senior vice president of public relations, told the Star Tribune that the league is reviewing the matter with Cook but declined to discuss a timetable for a resolution.
In part, the league's personal conduct policy reads: "It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime. Instead, as an employee of the NFL or a member club, you are held to a higher standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values upon which the League is based, and is lawful. Persons who fail to live up to this standard of conduct are guilty of conduct detrimental and subject to discipline, even where the conduct itself does not result in conviction of a crime."
When the time comes for the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell to issue a ruling on Cook, they will consider everything from fines to suspension to a potential probationary period.
This certainly isn't a good look for anyone involved in the incident. If Cook is guilty of the crimes he's being alleged to have committed, however, no one should be upset if Cook has the book thrown at him.