Last Friday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released wide receiver Deven Thompkins with an injury designation. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, there could be more to the story here.
Thompkins’ wife, Maria Castilhos, posted a video on TikTok this week talking about their fractured relationship.
Castilhos revealed in the video that she’s currently dealing with divorce and custody litigation. She claims she’s a victim of spousal abuse.
“I’m not going to be talking about mine and Deven’s divorce or child custody-related things, because we have an ongoing court case, so I can’t mention any of that,” Castilhos said, via the Tampa Bay Times. ” … This is strictly going to be the abuse that I’ve had to endure all these years with proof, because I’m being called a liar.”
Castilhos alleges that Thompkins beat her “really bad” on Valentine’s Day in 2023. She also said he “wouldn’t let her leave” their relationship.
Thompkins’ attorney, Brett R. Gallaway, has denied these accusations.
“What she fails to mention on TikTok and other social media posts are her written admissions of ‘blackmail’ in connection with demands that Deven pay her increased alimony and other payments,” Gallaway said. “Clear and significant exculpatory evidence exists to show that Deven did not physically or in any other way abuse Maria.”
Court records show that Thompkins filed for divorce in late February. It’s unclear if an NFL team will sign him while his legal situation is up in the air.