Mathis' common-law wife, Erica Smith, 26, told deputies the Texans player had pushed her onto a bed and started choking her. She refused medical treatment but said she is six months pregnant.
Mathis, 24, had already left the house when deputies arrived. But when he returned on Sunday, he was arrested and charged with assault and family violence.
He was released on a $3,000 bond. His attorney could not be immediately located. If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000, according to authorities.
This is Mathis' second run-in with the law in recent months. In December, he received a misdemeanor citation after his pit bull chewed through a fence and behaved aggressively.
Mathis had been on the Texans' injured list last season.
