Johnthan Banks, Former MSU, NFL Player Chokes Wife, Charged With Assault

Johnthan Banks, 30, a former Mississippi State football standout and NFL player, was arrested Wednesday for choking his wife.

According to local reports, the Clay County Sheriff’s Police Department responded to a distressed caller late Tuesday night. The female voice on the phone was coughing and crying when she told officers that Banks choked her in his home. The caller was traced and identified to be his wife. Police immediately responded to the call. Banks was arrested at a traffic stop in neighboring Webster County just after 8 a.m. local time (9 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday.

Banks was booked into the Clay County Jail and charged with domestic violence and aggravated assault. He was later released on a $10,000 bond. The Mississippi State Athletics, however, did not comment on the matter.

Banks, who last played at MSU during the 2012 season, won the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back in 2012. Banks totaled 242 tackles, 15 interceptions and 45 passes defended during his MSU career. Banks was considered one of the best cornerbacks but after his disappointing NFL combine, most NFL scouts put him as a late first-round or an early second-round pick.

His last appearance was in 2017 when he played in three games for the Houston Texans. He was then a cornerbacks coach at Starkville High School during the spring of 2018.