Prince Shembo Cut by Falcons After Animal Cruelty Charges Filed

The Atlanta Falcons waived linebacker Prince Shembo on Friday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN Insider, after he was charged with felony aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Shembo was later arrested by police, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN:

Connor Orr of NFL.com reported an arrest warrant for Shembo was obtained Friday afternoon, according to a police report.

McClure first reported that Shembo “was charged Friday with killing his former girlfriend’s dog.” Shembo's ex-girlfriend reportedly called the police on April 19 after the dog died from blunt force trauma.

McClure also pointed out that police ultimately took a warrant out for Shembo’s arrest because there were noticeable inconsistencies surrounding the linebacker’s account of what happened when he was left alone with the dog and the results of a necropsy test.

“The small dog suffered extensive injuries, including a fractured rib, abdominal hemorrhage, head trauma, eye injuries and extensive bruising in the muscles of his front leg and shoulders,” McClure wrote.

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The Falcons selected Shembo with a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft out of Notre Dame. He finished last season with 59 combined tackles, zero interceptions and zero forced fumbles in 16 games played.

He was expected to contend for more playing time in the 2015 season with a year under his belt before the arrest and subsequent release from the team.