Atlanta Falcons linebacker Barkevious Mingo was fired after being arrested over allegations of sexual contact with a child.
The arrest was made Thursday night after Mingo, accompanied by a lawyer, surrendered to authorities in Texas, the Arlington Police Department said in a statement.
He was released on $25,000 bond, according to police.
Mingo's Texas lawyer, Lukas Garcia, said in a statement tweeted by NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport that the allegations date back two years and are motivated by money or an "ulterior motive."
"The allegations out of Tarrant County against my client are completely baseless," Garcia said in the statement. "Barkevious Mingo is innocent."
The Arlington department said in its own statement, "The incident stems from an investigation that the department is conducting. Due to the nature of the charges and age of the victim, no additional information is releasable at this time."
Texas' law on indecency with a child — sexual contact covers children 17 years old or younger.
The NFL Players Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Falcons announced it fired Mingo with a brief statement posted to its website overnight on Sunday.
"After being made aware today of allegations involving Barkevious Mingo and gathering information on the matter, the Atlanta Falcons have terminated his contract," the team said.
Initially, the team said it was aware of the allegation and that it was "gathering information" and taking the allegations "very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation."
Mingo, 30, has played with several NFL teams and was the sixth overall pick in the 2013 draft.
