Mark Rypien pleads not guilty to domestic violence charge

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Former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien has been released on his own recognizance after pleading not guilty to a fourth degree domestic violence charge in Spokane, Washington.

Rypien was arrested on Sunday and entered the plea in court on Monday.

Rypien is accused of hitting his wife in the stomach and, per KHQ, Rypien said in court that his wife had put her hands on his face while he was driving. He said he “only hit his wife to remove her hands from his face” because he could not see while driving.

KHQ also reports that Danielle Rypien did not want her husband to be arrested by the police officers who responded to the scene. The Rypien family also released a statement, via KXLY.

“We want you to know that he did not commit any crime. As a family we are deeply concerned about the situation. Occurrences like this one are often chaotic scenes which are not conducive to revealing full clarity about what actually transpires.”

Rypien has been open about his belief that he suffers from CTE and that it has led to bouts of depression in recent years.