
Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt has been charged with misdemeanor domestic battery involving his daughter, just hours before the NFL Draft. This marks a significant incident as he enters his eighth season with the team.
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Dave Merritt at a Chiefs game in Jan. 2026
Credit: Bri Ali/Kansas City Chiefs via AP
Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery, according to court documents
Merritt, a former NFL player, is entering his eighth season coaching with the Chiefs and 25th in the NFL
The Chiefs have not commented on the allegations, which come just hours before the 2026 NFL Draft begins
Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt was charged Thursday on allegations of domestic battery to his daughter, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Merritt, a former NFL player, was arrested in Overland Park, Kan. on Wednesday, April 22 and charged Thursday morning with misdemeanor domestic battery. In a complaint filed by the Johnson County District Attorney's office, Merritt is accused of "unlawfully, knowingly, or recklessly cause bodily harm to a person," whom they name as Drayah Merritt.
Drayah is listed on Merritt's bio page on the Chiefs website as one of his two daughters, who he shares, along with three sons, with wife Yolanda.
Dave Merritt was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery.
Dave Merritt is entering his 25th season coaching in the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs have not commented on the allegations at this time.


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Dave Merritt at a Chiefs game in Dec. 2025
Credit: Steve Sanders/Kansas City Chiefs via AP
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According to the complaint, the charge is a "class B person misdemeanor, which constitutes a domestic violence offense."
PEOPLE has reached out to the Chiefs for comment.
Merritt is set to begin his eighth season with the Chiefs this year, and his 25th coaching in the NFL. Prior to joining the Chiefs, he coached for the New York Jets, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals. Merritt, a linebacker, previously played for the Cardinals for three seasons, after a one-season stint with the Miami Dolphins, who drafted him in 1993.
The Chiefs will select 9th and 29th in the 2026 NFL Draft, beginning tonight.
Read the original article on People