Linebacker Prince Shembo, a promising second-year player, was waived by the Falcons on Friday afternoon after he was charged with killing his ex-girlfriend’s dog earlier in the day.
The team found out about the charges just before taking the field Friday morning for the team’s OTA non-contact practice. Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who went through the federal dogfighting investigation with former star quarterback Michael Vick, was involved in the swift decision to release Shembo.
“We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo,” the Falcons said in a statement. “We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo.”
Shembo, who was set to make $510,000 in 2015, played in all 16 games last season and made three starts. He was moving to outside linebacker and had a chance to earn a spot in the team’s pass-rushing rotation.
Shembo, 23, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony, Gwinnett County police Cpl. Michele Pihera said. Calls to Shembo and his agent were not returned.
Denicia Williams called police April 19 to report that her former boyfriend had killed her Yorkie, named Dior. Williams told police she had taken Dior to Shembo’s home at a Mall of Georgia apartment complex four days earlier, according to police.
At some point during her stay, Williams left Shembo and her dog unattended. When she returned, Dior was unresponsive, she told police.
Williams took the dog to Duluth Animal Hospital, where Dior died shortly after her arrival.
The dog had a fractured rib, fractured liver, abdominal hemorrhage, thoracic hemorrhage, extensive bruising and hemorrhage in the muscles in her front leg and shoulders, head trauma, hemorrhage and edema in lungs, hemorrhage between the esophagus and trachea, and hemorrhage in the left eye with internal injuries, police said.
Shembo was considered the most controversial pick made by general manager Thomas Dimitroff when he was selected last year in the fourth round of the NFL draft.
A former Notre Dame linebacker, Shembo revealed at the scouting combine that he was investigated in a sexual-battery incident.
Shembo never was charged in connection with the incident that occurred in his dorm room Aug. 31, 2010. The alleged victim, after reporting the incident to officials, committed suicide 10 days later.
Since the Vick federal dogfighting investigation, the Falcons had steered clear of players with previous character problems. But after their first losing season under the current regime, they took a calculated gamble on Shembo.
The team said it completed a thorough background check of Shembo, who was removed from at least one team’s draft board, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported before the draft.
Shembo’s father immigrated to the United States from the Congo in 1986. Over his career at Notre Dame, he posted 145 tackles (24 1/2 for loss), had 19 1/2 sacks and 35 pressures.
Shembo started 34 of 51 games at Notre Dame. He played 26 games at right outside linebacker and eight on the left side. The Falcons’ defense ranked last in the league in 2014 and hoped that Shembo would help give them a boost in 2015.
New Falcons coach Dan Quinn was set to move Shembo back to outside linebacker after he played inside linebacker last season. He played in all 16 games and made three starts. He played 347 snaps and had 36 tackles.
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