Who Is Derrick Mason? Former Titans Player Surrenders After Domestic Assault Charges

Former football wide receiver and NFL player Derrick Mason surrendered himself to police Monday after being involved in an incident of domestic violence.

The former Titans player faces charges of felony aggravated domestic assault and misdemeanor vandalism, NBC affiliate WSMV reported. The 43-year-old who spent 15 years in the league, allegedly assaulted a woman he had been dating.

The Metro Nashville Police Department in press release accessed by multiple local news networks said: "A woman Mason has been dating called for police to respond to her Bellevue area home this morning. The woman reported that she was physically assaulted, grabbed by the neck and struck in the stomach, during an argument earlier in the morning after she told Mason she no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him. Domestic Violence Division detectives observed bruising on the victim’s right upper arm, a red mark on the right side of her neck, and a scratch on the top of her left hand. They also observed a hole on the back of the wooden front door, which she said Mason caused."

According to WSMV, Mason had left his home before police arrived but later arrived at the police station after being made aware that a warrant was issued against him.

Metro police said they had no record of prior incidents between the two and Mason's criminal record appeared to only include a traffic violation.

Mason currently hosts a weekday Nashville sports talk radio show on 102.5 called “The Game.” Beginning his career with the Tennessee Oilers, he soon became a player for the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL draft.

The two-time Pro Bowler played eight seasons for the Titans before leaving in 2005 and joining the Baltimore Ravens. There, he went on to become the franchise leader in career receiving yards. He played brief stints with the New York Jets and Houston Texans in 2011 before retiring the same year as a Raven, the Tennessean said.

According to ESPN, at the time of joining the New York Jets, Mason was the only player in NFL history to produce at least 5,000 total return yards and 11,000 receiving yards. His 924 career receptions ranked 12th in NFL history and the wide receiver owned the top three reception seasons in Ravens franchise history. He also posted four of his eight career 1,000-yard campaigns in Baltimore and the other four during his time with Tennessee where he played for the first eight seasons of his career.

In an interview in 2011, Mason talked about being the senior player in his team (the Jets at the time) and about enforcing selflessness amongst the wide receivers and said: I think, for years, as a wide receiver, I wanted to go out there and prove that I could play this game at a high level. Now, I have to realize that I have nothing else to prove. I’ve done it all, seen it all.”