Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien pleads not guilty to assault

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Former Super Bowl hero Mark Rypien, who announced last year that he believes he suffered brain damage while playing in the NFL that caused him to behave violently at times, pleaded not guilty today to a charge of domestic violence against his wife, Danielle.

Rypien was taken to the Spokane County Jail on Sunday afternoon after his arrest near a bank on the north side of the city. A witness who saw the couple called police and said Rypien's wife said he had struck her. She was evaluated and did not need medical treatment, police said.

Rypien, 56, was released without bail; his next court appearance was scheduled for July 31. Prosecutors initially asked for a no-contact order between Rypien and his wife at the brief hearing, but she argued against that.

Mark and Danielle Rypien said in a statement Monday that they will continue to cooperate with authorities "to ensure that the truth of Mark's innocence comes out," KHQ-TV reported .

"In response to Mark being arrested for domestic violence, we want you to know that he did not commit any crime. As a family we are deeply concerned about the situation. Occurrences like this one are often chaotic scenes which are not conducive to revealing full clarity about what actually transpires," they said in the statement.

There was no answer at the Spokane offices of the Rypien Foundation, which battles childhood cancer. Rypien's attorney, Chris Bugbee, did not immediately return a telephone message.