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The NFL has cleared Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt, finding he didn’t violate the league’s personal-conduct policy following his offseason arrest for domestic battery, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Merritt won’t face any discipline from the league.
The investigation began after Merritt, 54, was arrested and charged with domestic battery in April. The county’s district attorney’s office had filed a complaint alleging Merritt “unlawfully, knowingly or recklessly [caused] bodily harm” to a daughter. He has five children, including two daughters.
By May, those charges were dismissed without prejudice. Merritt’s attorney said the district attorney’s office took a closer look and decided to drop the case.
That wasn’t the end of it, though.
Even with no active legal proceedings, Merritt still faced potential punishment from the NFL. The league has the authority to discipline coaches and players even when charges are dropped or the legal system doesn’t pursue a case – if the NFL determines someone put themselves in a bad situation, it can still act independently of the courts. In this case, it won’t.
Merritt has been coaching the Chiefs’ defensive backs since 2019, helping build one of the more consistent secondaries in the league during Kansas City’s run of Super Bowl appearances. Before that, he spent 14 years with the New York Giants (2004-2017) – a long tenure by any standard – then had a single season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 before landing with Kansas City.
He’s interviewed for at least one defensive coordinator role during his career but has never held the position.
