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Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay denies pushing ex-partner during fight that led to arrest

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. told police he never pushed his ex-partner during a confrontation inside her Overland Park apartment last week, but admitted he did throw things shortly before his arrest on a misdemeanor property damage charge.

Gay, 23, was arrested by Overland Park police after the altercation at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was charged with criminal damage to property totaling less than $1,000.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge in a virtual court hearing Thursday and was released from jail a few hours later.

Court records published Friday revealed Gay’s ex-partner accused him of pushing her onto the couch where their 3-month-old son was asleep and throwing her things around the apartment during a heated argument. In an affidavit released Monday, Gay disputed part of that account the night of his arrest.

Gay told police his ex-partner, whom The Star is not identifying publicly because she is the victim of an alleged crime, invited him over to see their son but that he arrived late, according to the affidavit released Monday.

Gay reported his ex-partner “started taking ‘shots’ at him” about not being a good father and that her friends on a phone call also said so, court records show. As the confrontation grew more heated, he offered to leave in 10 minutes but she refused and threatened to call police.

“Once he realized she had called the police, he got upset because he did not think he had done anything wrong,” the affidavit reads. “He yelled at her, and the he threw the vacuum cleaner. he threw it at her bedroom door.”

The ex-partner reported to police it was Gay who had laughed at her about being a single mother and that he became irate when she called police, pushing her onto the couch, throwing items around her apartment and storming out before police arrived, according to her petition for a protective order from Gay approved by a judge Friday.

Investigators estimated Gay allegedly caused $225 worth of property damage to the vacuum, a cellphone screen, a wall/door frame and a humidifier during the incident, according to an Overland Park police report.

Gay denied being physical with his ex-partner, however, when police reached him at his Fairway home later that night. Officers noted there were no drugs or alcohol involved in the incident and Gay’s ex-partner was not physically hurt, according to the police report.

Gay was arrested and charged with criminal property damage, a class B non-person misdemeanor, “which constitutes a domestic violence offense,” court records show.

His defense attorney Ryan Ginie has denied the allegations made by Gay’s ex-partner and declined to comment further on the case, saying Gay will fight the accusations in court.

Gay was released on his own recognizance Thursday, meaning he was released without posting any money with the court, and played in the Chiefs’ playoff win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. He is in his second season with the Chiefs, who drafted him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

A temporary protective order prohibits Gay from contacting his ex-partner, and a hearing regarding the order is scheduled for Feb. 1. Gay is scheduled to return to court at 3:30 p.m. March 2 in connection with his criminal charge.