49ers CB Deommodore Lenoir addresses June arrest, remains focused on leadership

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir publicly addressed his June arrest for the first time on Sunday, offering an apology to his team and reflecting on the incident during a post-practice media session at training camp. Lenoir was booked June 26 in Los Angeles for resisting arrest following a traffic stop, according to the LAPD. Officers said they approached Lenoir and another man after noticing double-parked vehicles blocking traffic. 

Police reported seeing a gun in one of the vehicles and, when they asked for the keys, the other man threw them to Lenoir — who allegedly tried to keep them away from officers.

“I want to apologize to my teammates, the organization, and to my coaches, and to my family just for a mistake,” Lenoir said.

The second man, identified as Marcus Cunningham, was arrested and charged with felony possession of a concealed firearm in a vehicle. Lenoir was later released. Although a court appearance was scheduled for last Friday, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office told the San Francisco Chronicle it had not yet received Lenoir’s case.

“Really, just, I’m different than who I was five [weeks] ago,” Lenoir said. “So, just being at the right place, not really hanging out in areas that I shouldn’t be.”

Now entering his fifth season with San Francisco, the 25-year-old Lenoir is viewed as a veteran presence in the secondary. The former fifth-round pick out of Oregon has played in 62 games in four seasons and signed a five-year, $92 million extension last fall. In the past two seasons, Lenoir totaled 169 tackles, 19 passes defensed and five interceptions.