TAMPA, Fla. — In a surprising move during OTAs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released wide receiver/kick returner Deven Thompkins. While the team listed the move with an injury designation, as Thompkins was dealing with a hamstring issue suffered during offseason training activities, there might have been more to it.
Maria Castilhos, Thompkins’ wife and the mother of his two children, said in a Tik Tok video that she has been a victim of domestic abuse. Court records show Thompkins filed for divorce Feb. 27 in Lee County. In those filings, there are no accusations of physical abuse.
Her Tik Tok has since been taken down.
In another post, Castilhos posted pictures of injuries to her face and arm saying Thompkins, "beat me really bad” last year.
10 Tampa Bay reached out to Thompkins' lawyer, Brett Gallaway, a partner at McLaughlin & Stern, who issued this statement on his behalf:
"First and foremost, Deven categorically denies the allegations levied against him by his estranged wife, Maria Castilhos. Unfortunately, Deven and Maria have been going through a contentious divorce proceeding and child custody battle, and it appears that she thought it would help her case to release these false and defamatory videos.
What she fails to mention on Tik Tok and other social media posts are her written admissions of “blackmail” in connection with demands that Deven pay her increased alimony and other payments. Clear and significant exculpatory evidence exists to show that Deven did not physically or in any other way abuse Maria.
Separately, Deven would like to thank the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for allowing him the privilege to play for his hometown team. While he's disappointed the club released him before more facts became available, Deven will comply with any forthcoming league investigation.
We expect he will be fully exonerated after a review of the facts, background, and clear ulterior motive behind the release of these videos and fabricated assault allegations."
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was asked about the release of Thompkins who indicated Tampa Bay was open to bringing him back to the organization.
“He was injured, so we needed some healthy bodies, and we’ll take care of that,” Bowles said. “But the door is open. We understand it’s a tough business, and he understands that as well, so we’ll see what happens.”
The Buccaneers signed wide receiver Cody Thompson who will presumably fill that Thompkins role on the roster.
Thompkins, a Fort Myers native, played in 22 games the past two seasons for the Buccaneers, catching 22 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown.
Thompkins was originally an undrafted free agent out of Utah State in 2022. His most significant role in the past two seasons has been as a return man. He averaged 9.5 yards on 31 punt returns and 21.1 yards on 28 kickoff returns.
No charges have been pressed against Thompkins and there are no police reports indicating any assault in Castilhos' alleged claims.
June 21 Update
Deven Thompkins has filed a complaint and demand for jury trial in Lee County against his estranged wife, Maria Castilhos.
In the court filing, Thompkins claims “several” of the pictures from the Castilhos TikTok video were “altered prior to their posting.” Filing claims the Buccaneers fired him as a result of the “defamatory publications and the public outcry.”
In a statement to 10 Tampa Bay, Gallaway said:
We believe the detailed and concerning allegations in this complaint speak for themselves and speak volumes. While we respect and support all survivors of domestic violence to speak out, the facts in this matter represent a disturbing blackmail scheme wherein Ms. (Castilhos) threatened Deven with fabricated allegations of domestic violence unless he met her financial demands for additional alimony in a pending and contentious divorce proceeding. We look forward to litigating this case and bringing to light the truly fictitious nature of these claims so Deven can return to the football field.
July 15 Update
Per NFL’s Brian McCarthy, Thompkins has been cleared of abuse accusations from his wife. In a statement McCarthy said, “Following a review of the matter, the league did not discover sufficient evidence to support a finding of a violation of the personal conduct policy.”
