Former Ravens Running Back Terrance West Faces Assault Charges in Upper Marlboro

A carpet stain dispute at his Upper Marlboro home landed former Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West in Prince George's County court, charged with first- and second-degree assault after a contractor says West punched him in the face during a March 4 altercation that also involved an alleged confrontation with a gun.

West, 35, had hired contractors to do painting and repairs at his home. According to charging documents from the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office, the crew showed their client, identified as West's wife, stains in the carpet they said they did not cause. When West saw the stains, he became aggressive toward the supervisor, grabbing him and getting into an altercation, according to the documents.

"He grabbed my supervisor and they got into an altercation. I told Mr. West to stop. He then started punching me in the face. I didn't know how to react," the contractor wrote in the charging documents.

A photo taken shortly after the incident shows the contractor with a black eye and a swollen face. The contractor told police West was waving a gun during the confrontation. Charging documents cited by Fox Baltimore and WJLA go further, alleging West threatened the contractor with both a knife and a gun, though other outlets reporting on the same documents mention only the firearm. When officers responded to the home, they told the contractor that "since he was being attacked as well in his home, he had a right to defend himself," according to the charging documents.

West is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 1 in Prince George's County District Court. No statement from West or his legal counsel appeared in the charging documents or in reports on the case, and it is not publicly known whether he has retained an attorney.

The charges follow a football career that made West a recognizable name across the Baltimore-Washington corridor. He played at Northwest High School in Baltimore before becoming a dominant force at Towson University, where he earned three straight All-Colonial Athletic Association first-team selections from 2011 to 2013, won CAA Player of the Year, and led the Tigers to the FCS national championship game. As a junior, he rushed for 2,509 yards with 41 touchdowns before declaring for the NFL Draft.

The Cleveland Browns selected West in the third round of the 2014 Draft. He posted 673 rushing yards and four touchdowns in his lone Cleveland season, played two games with the Tennessee Titans in 2015, then joined the Ravens, playing for his hometown team from 2015 through 2017 and accumulating 1,092 rushing yards across 27 games. The New Orleans Saints released him before the 2018 season, ending his professional career.

Addiction expert Mike Gimbel, who has counseled athletes, said the dynamic is not uncommon. "We all too often see when these players, who are taught to be aggressive, get into the real world...they don't know how to act," Gimbel said. The case drew comparisons to the 2014 Ray Rice elevator assault video, which ended the former Ravens running back's NFL career, as the league continues to face scrutiny over off-field conduct by current and former players.