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Chiefs assistant coach charged with misdemeanor domestic battery against daughter just before NFL Draft
By Ryan Morik
Published April 23, 2026
On the day of the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs were hit with a bit of a blow.
Assistant coach Dave Merritt was charged Thursday with misdemeanor domestic battery.
A complaint filed by the district attorney in Johnson County, Kansas, accused him of causing bodily harm to a daughter.
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Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt during a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Dec. 17, 2023. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)
The Chiefs said they were aware of the arrest but had no comment. Merritt was due in court later Thursday.
Merritt, 54, played college football at North Carolina State and was a seventh-round pick in 1993 by the Miami Dolphins.
He played only four games for them before joining the Phoenix Cardinals, for which he played until 1995. He played in 16 games in 1994 and 15 the following season.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt stands on the sideline during the first half against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Dec. 17, 2023. (Greg M. Cooper/AP)
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Merritt then had a stint with NFL Europe in 1997 before going into coaching. His first coaching gig was with the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga as an outside linebackers coach.
He joined the NFL sidelines in 2001 as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach with the New York Jets and then went to the Giants the following year.
Merritt stayed with Big Blue until 2017 before going back to his former Cardinals for a season. He then joined Kansas City in 2019 as their defensive backs coach.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive back coach Dave Merritt celebrates with his sons after a 31-20 victory in the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers Feb. 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service/Getty Images)
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As a coach, he has won five Super Bowls — two with the Giants and three with the Chiefs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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