Chad Wheeler is a 6 foot 7, 318-pound offensive tackle who played college football for the USC Trojans. He signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent during the 2017 season. In 2019 Wheeler was cut by the Giants, and two months later, he was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.
On Saturday, Jan. 23, Chad Wheeler was the aggressor in a serious case of domestic violence. The 27-year-old was arrested and charged with first-degree domestic violence assault, domestic violence, unlawful imprisonment, and resisting arrest. Due to Wheeler’s status as a perennial back-up player, the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks were hopeful the story would go unnoticed and fade away. Unfortunately for them, with social media assistance, the Wheeler story was placed under the spotlight.   Â
Fans were outraged in regards to a lack of an immediate response from the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks organization. They were also angered by the non-existent media coverage. The incident happened Saturday, and it didn’t become a focus to the media until Wednesday. The story has two components in connection to the indignation of the fans. The first component is the fact that Chad Wheeler is a White man who assaulted his girlfriend, who happens to be a Black woman. The other component that sparked the outrage is also linked to ethnicity. Chad Wheeler is a White NFL player who committed a heinous act, and until the past few days, the story didn’t receive much attention. The consensus is the hypothetical if Chad Wheeler was a Black NFL player, the story would have received intense observation from beginning to the end. The NFL and the sports media didn’t give the story the immediate scrutiny it deserved, but fans stepped up to the plate and gave the story the attention it needed with the help of social media. The story was talked about and shared to the point it was trending on Twitter.
According to the police report, Wheeler asked the victim to bow to him. When she refused to bow, he grabbed her and threw her on the bed. Wheeler proceeded to strangle the victim until she lost consciousness. When the victim regained consciousness, Wheeler was standing by the bed and said, “Oh, you’re still alive.” The victim ran to the bathroom and locked the door. She sent text messages to family and friends. She was also able to call 911 and stated she was being “killed.” When the police arrived, they could hear a woman screaming from inside the apartment. They forced entry into the apartment unit and the locked bathroom. The victim was crying with her face covered in blood. Her left arm was swollen and limp against her body. Wheeler didn’t cooperate with the three officers who were attempting to take him into custody. They were able to detain him with the help of a taser. Wheeler was taken to jail, and the victim was transported to the hospital. Four days after the fact, the Seattle Seahawks finally issued a statement. “The Seahawks are saddened by the details emerging against Chad Wheeler and strongly condemn this act of domestic violence,” Seattle said in the statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim. Chad is a free agent and no longer with the team.”        Â
 From the sports media standpoint, former Seahawks wide receiver and current football analyst Nate Burleson was one of the first to speak out in regards to the Chad Wheeler domestic violence incident. Burleson went off-script to make a note of the incident. “Mark my words, if somebody balls out at the Senior Bowl, they will ball out in the NFL. But guys, I have to take a hard left turn. There’s something that’s been in my heart, and I hate to do it at the end of the show, but something disturbing happened in Seattle. There’s a lineman, Chad Wheeler, that put his hands on his girlfriend. And being a Seattle Seahawk, I feel like our show never shies away from these tough topics, and I didn’t want to right now. I know it’s probably catching you off guard, but I didn’t want to go three hours and not mention it.”   Â
The NFL is currently reviewing the matter. The slow response isn’t a good look for the league regarding giving domestic violence the immediate attention it deserves. As for Chad Wheeler, he wasn’t very high on the prospect list, and after this incident, it’s safe to say his NFL career is over. Currently, he’s been released from jail on a $400,000 bond. His hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9.
