Wife of released Buccaneers receiver Deven Thompkins accuses him of abuse

The wife of recently released Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Deven Thompkins accused him of physical abuse in a TikTok video.

Maria Castilhos initially posted a video on May 23 featuring photos of her alleged injuries, and this week stated in a since-deleted 8 1/2-minute video that the couple, who have two children and had been together since high school, were going through a divorce case.

“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 in the video, according to 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.”

The photos in the May 23 video show injuries to Castilhos’ face, elbow and wrist.

The first photo shows her hand with a wedding ring and the caption, “But you were an NFL wife, how can you walk away from that life?”

Over the photo of her face bruised, she wrote, “…he would’ve killed me.”

In the deleted video, she said the injuries she showed were from when Thompkins, 24, allegedly “beat me really bad” in the backseat of a car on Valentine’s Day 2023 near Fort Myers, Fla., according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Castilhos said, per the Times, that she began dating Thompkins when she was 15, they were engaged at 17, she was pregnant with their first child before graduating high school and they were married at 19.

The couple separated and developed relationships with other people while remaining married, Castilhos said.

They briefly reunited before the alleged Valentine’s incident.

Castilhos accused Thompkins of cheating on her while they lived together at Utah State, where he played from 2018-21, and alleged there have been “many abusive episodes.”

“Nothing that I would have proof to,’’ Castilhos said in the deleted video, per the Times. “But, like, him hitting me with the Christmas tree, him pulling out a knife on me for trying to leave after some girl came up to me at his football game and told me she was pregnant with his baby.”

Thompkins, whom the Buccaneers waived last Thursday with an injury designation, denied the allegations through his lawyer, Brett R. Gallaway.

“First and foremost, Deven categorically denies the allegations levied against him by his estranged wife, Maria Castilhos,” Gallaway said in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times. “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 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. Clear and significant exculpatory evidence exists to show that Deven did not physically or in any other way abuse Maria.

“… 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.”

Castilhos was accused in November 2022 of punching a woman in the nose at a Halloween party after the woman allegedly disparaged her son for having Down syndrome, the Times reported citing police records.

The case was dismissed roughly three months later.

In April, Thompkins accused Castilhos in a court filing of running off with their children while at a Tampa aquarium, taking them to Fort Myers.

Thompkins and Castilho have been separated since September 2023, according to Lee County court records.

The “door is open” for Thompkins, who was the Buccaneers’ kick returner, to return to the team, Bucs coach Todd Bowles told reporters Tuesday.

The Buccaneers initially signed Thompkins as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

He had 327 yards on kick returns and 234 yards on punt returns last season, adding 17 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.