FRISCO - The father of a former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl linebacker has been arrested on a series of disturbing charges.
Darwin Vander Esch, the father of retired Cowboys standout Leighton Vander Esch, was arrested outside of Riggins, Idaho, early Sunday morning, according to the local paper.
The news report says police received a call on domestic battery, and upon responding, arrested Darwin Vander Esch, 61.
According to information provided by the Idaho County Sheriff's Office, the elder Vander Esch was arrested for felony attempted strangulation and cited for misdemeanor domestic battery and misdemeanor intentional destruction of a telecommunication device.
Online records appear to show that Darwin Vander Esch had bonded out of custody.
A native of Riggins, Leighton Vander Esch was a first-round pick of the Cowboys in 2018 after a standout career at Boise State, and as a rookie was selected to the Pro Bowl. The 6-foot-4, 256-pound linebacker was named second-team All-Pro as he quickly emerged as a playmaker.
Unfortunately, a neck injury that was a concern coming into the league plagued him over the course of his career. A broken collarbone slowed him at one point and another neck issue in 2023 ended his season after five games, and caused him to choose to retire in March after six seasons in the NFL.
Said Leighton at the time: “I love the game of football so much, and my body won’t cooperate any longer. "I cherished every moment of my NFL career, and it has been such a blessing to play the game for as long as I have played.”
