The Chiefs defensive backs coach was arrested Wednesday night, one day before the NFL Draft.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt was arrested Wednesday evening in Overland Park, Kansas, and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery, according to booking records from Johnson County and a formal complaint filed today by the district attorney’s office.
Merritt, 54, was taken into custody around 9 p.m. on April 22, just hours before the NFL Draft got underway in Pittsburgh. The complaint alleges that he unlawfully, knowingly or recklessly caused bodily harm to one of his daughters. He has two daughters and three sons, according to his Chiefs biography.
The charge is classified as a Class B person misdemeanor and constitutes a domestic violence offense under Kansas law.
Merritt’s bond conditions and next court date
Bond was initially set at $2,500, and Merritt appeared briefly in court today. As conditions of his release, he is prohibited from any contact with the alleged victim or potential witnesses, barred from possessing firearms and required to abstain from alcohol, illegal drugs and controlled substances. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 24 and may be attended virtually.
The Kansas City Chiefs confirmed awareness of the situation but declined to provide further comment. No additional statement has been issued by the organization as of today.
Chiefs Assistant Coach Dave Merritt Arrested For Domestic Battery | Click to read more 👇 pic.twitter.com/0MiyoTLL50
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) April 23, 2026
A respected coach with a decorated NFL career
Merritt has been a fixture on Andy Reid’s staff since 2019, when he joined the Chiefs as part of a restructuring of the team’s defensive coaching group. He has played a notable role in Kansas City’s three Super Bowl championships during that stretch and previously earned two rings with the New York Giants, where he spent more than a decade working under head coach Tom Coughlin beginning in 2004.
His NFL career spans 29 seasons in total, including time as a player. He was selected in the seventh round of the 1993 draft by the Miami Dolphins and spent several seasons as a linebacker before moving into coaching. His first NFL coaching position came in 2001 with the New York Jets.
Among the defensive backs he has developed in Kansas City is cornerback Trent McDuffie, who signed a four-year, $124 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason. Merritt was also selected in 2023 as one of 40 coaches to participate in the NFL Coach Accelerator Program, a league initiative aimed at increasing diversity in head coaching and general manager positions across all 32 teams.
He has not held a defensive coordinator role during his career, though he reportedly interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers’ coordinator opening in 2024.
Under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, the league is expected to open its own investigation into the matter. Standard procedure in cases of this nature often involves administrative leave while both the team and the league wait for court proceedings to advance. No such action has been announced publicly as of today.
The timing of the arrest, arriving the night before one of the most closely watched events on the NFL calendar, has drawn immediate attention to an organization that entered draft week with its focus trained on rebuilding its roster after an offseason of significant roster changes. The legal matter is now a parallel story running alongside the football one, and how the Chiefs and the league respond in the days ahead will likely become its own chapter.