Former NFL linebacker and key member of Ohio State’s 2014 national championship football team, Darron Lee, was charged in his girlfriend’s murder after her body was discovered in a Tennessee home.
According to WTVC, Hamilton County officers responded to a report of CPR in progress at a residence on Snow Cone Way in Ooltewah on February 5. First responders discovered a female victim and performed life-saving efforts, but she died from her injuries.
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According to court records, Lee informed authorities that his girlfriend may have fallen in the shower, but with shattered glass spread throughout the kitchen, blood spatter on the apartment’s walls and floors, and cleaning chemicals in unusual places, it appeared to be a homicide.
During the inquiry, officers notice cuts on Lee’s hands, facial injuries, chest wounds, and blood in his cell phone case.
The victim’s body showed signs of a violent altercation, including bruises, a bite mark, and an apparent stab wound.
According to WTVC, Lee’s date of birth in the county booking system matches that of a former NFL linebacker with the same name on ESPN.
Lee, a former OSU linebacker, was the defensive MVP of Ohio State’s epic Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama in 2015, which paved the way for the Buckeyes’ most recent football championship.
Lee played high school football at New Albany, and after leaving OSU early to declare for the NFL Draft, the New York Jets drafted him in the first round. He also played for Kansas City (with whom he won a Super Bowl), Buffalo, and Las Vegas.
Lee was arrested in Dublin in 2023 on charges of assault and domestic violence. In 2025, he pled guilty to a lesser felony, receiving a 90-day jail term with the remaining 88 days suspended. He was put on probation until February 2027.
He has now been charged with first-degree murder and evidence tampering in Hamilton County.
