Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive backs coach arrested for alleged domestic battery on eve of the 2026 NFL Draft
Kansas City Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt was arrested in Overland Park, Kansas, on Wednesday evening. Here’s everything we currently know.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt was arrested on Wednesday under suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery, KC Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton reports.
Merritt, 54, joined the Chiefs’ coaching staff as the defensive backs coach when Steve Spagnuolo became the defensive coordinator in 2019. He’s spent the past seven seasons in that role. Merritt has been coaching the NFL since 2001.
What we currently know about Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt’s arrest
The KC Star obtained court documents from the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, filing a complaint against Merritt. The complaint accuses Merritt of a domestic violence offense in which he, “unlawfully, knowingly, or recklessly” caused bodily harm to a daughter. The criminal complaint lists the alleged charges as a Class B misdemeanor.
Merritt is scheduled to appear in front of a judge at the Johnson County District Court on Thursday, April 23, at 2:00 p.m. CT. This also coincides with Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
According to Cronkleton, Merritt was arrested at 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday evening. He was arrested by an Overland Park (Kansas) police officer. Merritt was booked into the Johnson County jail at about 10:25 p.m. No bond has been set yet. The Overland Park Police Department has not made details of his arrest publicly available at this time.
The Chiefs told the KC Star they were aware of the incident but had no further comment at this time.