Editor’s note: The following story deals with sexual assault, and may be upsetting or offensive to some readers. If you or someone you know is in need of support, those in Canada can find province-specific centres, crisis lines and services here. For readers in America, a list of resources and references for survivors and their loved ones can be found here.
The Minnesota Vikings say they have notified the NFL and are “gathering information” on a domestic dispute involving running back Dalvin Cook.
“We recently received notification from Dalvin Cook’s legal representative regarding a situation that occurred between Dalvin and a female acquaintance in November 2020 and led to an ongoing dispute between the parties,” a statement from the Vikings, obtained by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, reads. “Upon learning of this we immediately notified the NFL. We are in the process of gathering more information and will withhold further comment at this time.”
Details of the dispute were made public in a report published by the Star Tribune Tuesday night. According to the Star Tribune article, a former girlfriend has filed a lawsuit against Cook accusing him of assault, battery and false imprisonment. A lawyer representing Cook countered that allegation in a statement to the Star Tribune, instead accusing Cook’s former girlfriend of abusing his client.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
In an interview with the Star Tribune, Sgt. 1st Class in the U.S. Army Gracelyn Trimble accused Cook of “giving me a concussion, leaving a scar on my face and taking me through hell.”
According to the Star Tribune, the lawsuit says Cook and Trimble had an off-and-on relationship after meeting at a Florida beach in 2018. On Nov. 19 of last year, Trimble flew to Minnesota to break up with Cook and collect some of her things. She claims that Cook got angry at her after she asked for his help moving some of her belongings and that he “grabbed her arm, and slung her whole body over the couch, slamming her face into the coffee table and causing her lower forehead and the bridge of her nose to bust open.”
The lawsuit then says that Trimble attempted to mace Cook but he overpowered her and turned the mace on her, getting it in her eyes. She then went to take a shower where she was allegedly assaulted again. According to the lawsuit, Trimble then went into Cook’s bedroom, grabbed his gun and called a friend. The suit claims Cook overheard her making the call, threatened her and beat her with a broomstick.
The lawsuit says Cook took Trimble to the airport the following day and that she covered her injuries with a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and face mask. She sought treatment for her injuries on Nov. 25 and told medical staff that she had been in an ATV accident. The lawsuit says that while being treated for her injuries, Trimble was told she had a concussion as well as several deep cuts and bruises.
Neither Trimble nor Cook reported the incident to police. According to the Star Tribune, the lawsuit also includes text messages purportedly between Cook and Trimble, with one from Cook saying “I know what I did can be rewind…If you wanna go to the police I’ll respect that I’ll take my punishment for what I did!”
Cook’s lawyer David Valentini disputed the claims in the lawsuit when reached by the Star Tribune, saying Cook was defending himself and other guests in his home from Trimble.
“We are confident a full disclosure of the facts will show Mr. Cook did nothing wrong and any injury Sgt. Trimble may have sustained that evening was the result of Sgt. Trimble’s own unlawful conduct,” Valentini wrote in a statement to the newspaper.
The Star Tribune reports the lawsuit was filed Tuesday after attempts to negotiate a settlement between the two parties did not find a resolution.
This isn’t the first time Cook has been involved in a case of assault against a woman. According to a 2017 story published in Sports Illustrated, Cook was accused of punching a woman outside a bar in 2015 while he was a sophomore at Florida State University. Cook pled not guilty to the assault charge and a jury found him not guilty in August of that year.
The Vikings selected Cook 41st overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. In five seasons with the team, he has rushed for 35 touchdowns while averaging 86 yards per game. In November of 2020, the Vikings and Cook agreed to a new five-year, $63-million contract that makes him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL.