NFL free agent Dalvin Cook offered ex-girlfriend $1 million to clear him of abuse allegations: report
There seems to be an added nugget as to why Dalvin Cook is still a free agent.
The former Minnesota Vikings running back reportedly offered $1 million to his ex-girlfriend to clear him of any wrongdoing stemming from her 2021 claim that he assaulted her.
Gracelyn Trimble, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, accused Cook of assault, battery and false imprisonment during a Nov. 19, 2020, incident at his Grove Heights home, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported, citing a lawsuit filed in the Dakota County District Court.
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Running back Dalvin Cook, #4 of the Minnesota Vikings, carries the ball during the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on January 8, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Cook reportedly offered $800,000 before upping the offer to seven figures. Trimble’s attorney, Daniel Cragg, said Cook’s initial offer was “evidence of a crime.”
“This does not pass the smell test, and can and should be admissible as evidence of Cook’s consciousness of guilt,” Cragg wrote.
Cook said in a deposition that he was aware that his attorneys had offered Trimble the $800,000 in May “to provide a sworn affidavit exonerating him of wrongdoing,” the filing reportedly states.
Trimble also reportedly declined the $1 million, which also would have required her to write a letter to the NFL relieving Cook of any wrongdoing.
Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (4) tries to reverse direction to get in the end zone during the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins on October 16, 2022, at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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According to Trimble’s initial lawsuit, the pair met in Florida in 2018 and went on to have an on-and-off relationship, but Trimble claims she flew to Minnesota in November of last year to officially end the relationship and retrieve her belongings.
The lawsuit says she entered his home through the garage, grabbing mace on her way in and claimed that Cook became aggravated when she asked for his help in getting her things, at which point he allegedly “grabbed her arm, and slung her whole body over the couch, slamming her face into the coffee table and causing her lower forehead and the bridge of her nose to bust open,” the lawsuit stated.
At that point, she claimed she attempted to use the mace on Cook, but she was overpowered, and the mace went into her eyes. She then went to shower and was allegedly assaulted by Cook again. According to the outlet, she grabbed a gun belonging to the NFL player and called a friend, allegedly prompting him to threaten her and attack her with a broomstick.
Dalvin Cook, #4 of the Minnesota Vikings, rushes during the first half against the New York Giants in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 15, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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Cook’s attorney, David Valentini, responded to the lawsuit’s filing with a statement Tuesday, claiming that Trimble had broken into Cook’s home and then assaulted him and two other house guests.
The Vikings released Cook in June as part of a salary cap casualty, and he remains unsigned despite being linked to several teams, including the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.
Cook has made four-straight Pro Bowls while averaging 1,256 rushing yards in that span and finding the end zone 46 times.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
