U.S. Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley scored a major legal victory in Florida, where prosecutors dropped a domestic violence case against him and cleared a path for him to beat police battery allegations.
The domestic violence allegations stemmed from a dispute in May of 2024 when Kerley’s now-estranged wife claimed they got into a physical fight and he ‘impeded her breathing,’ as reported by TMZ.
Kerley was arrested again in January after a confrontation with Miami Beach police in which officers used a stun gun on the 30-year-old Texas native. Five months later, he was arrested for allegedly punching his former girlfriend, Olympic hurdler Alaysha Johnson. He was ultimately charged with misdemeanor battery in that case and has denied the accusations.
On Thursday, Kerley celebrated prosecutors’ decision to drop the 2024 domestic violence case.
‘They put me through hell, but truth walked me home,’ Kerley wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. ‘Cases dismissed. Blessing on blessings. Thank to the bests lawyer.’
Kerley was represented by attorneys Richard Cooper and Yale Sanford.
Kerley won silver in Tokyo in the 100 and bronze in Paris, but faced trouble in 2025
Fred Kerley is seen celebrating with attorneys after beating a domestic violence charge
Kerley was arrested in January of 2025 for battery on law enforcement
As Sanford explained to NBC Miami, Kerley has beaten the 2024 domestic violence case, but will need to complete a six-month pre-trial diversion program for the 2025 police battery case to be dropped.
Cooper spoke to TMZ about Kerley’s legal victory.
‘I’m happy to report that the case was dismissed due to an utter lack of evidence and good faith to proceed by the prosecutor,’ Cooper said. ‘My client could never and would never hurt a woman, especially the mother of his children. My client is looking forward to focusing on winning races and inspiring people around the world.’
A silver medalist in the 100m dash at the 2020 Tokyo Games and bronze medalist in Paris in 2024, Kerley also faced a doping ban in 2025 for a missed test. He is appealing that ruling.
He has since signed up for the Enhanced Games, a controversial competition scheduled for next year that encourages (supervised) PED use among athletes.
The competition is offering a $1million prize for broken world records, and each event has a total purse of $500,000, with $250,000 for each winner.
‘I’m looking forward to this new chapter and competing at the Enhanced Games,’ Kerley told the event’s website.
The Enhanced Games will take place in May.
