Country singer Rodney Atkins has filed for divorce from his wife Tammy, after being accused of domestic assault by his estranged wife.

Rodney Atkins, 42, has defended himself in the assault assertions. He has claimed that his wife has gone overboard in terms of her description of the actual events involved.

The report via TMZ said that Atkins attempted to smother his wife Tammy Atkins with a pillow. Tammy said that her husband became violent and angry during an argument that took place during the evening of Nov. 20, running into Nov. 21.

The 911 call in the matter occurred at 7:47 a.m. on Nov. 21. Tammy Atkins called authorities then, claiming she and Rodney had been fighting all night long. The court documents, filed in Williamson County, TX, said that as the argument escalated, Rodney Atkins became violent. The police arrived, and Atkins was taken to jail, booked, and then released on bail of $2,500.

The police report said that Tammy claimed that her husband “had been drinking alcohol all night and was intoxicated.” It added the assertion that Rodney attempted to smother his wife with a pillow.

That claim, Atkins’ lawyer said, was blown out of proportion. The lawyer called the incident just an “unfortunate verbal dispute,” adding that it did not reach the level of violence claimed by Tammy Atkins. In that statement, given to TMZ, the lawyer said that Tammy and Rodney’s 10-year-old son (Elijah) was present, in the home, and that “when Mr. Atkins realized their child was in hearing range of the argument, his first priority became getting out of the earshot of the child. Mr. Atkins realized he would have no recourse but to file a complaint for divorce. He has exercised substantial parenting time with the parties’ son and he will continue to do so while the divorce is pending.”

Rodney Atkins and his wife Tammy first met when the singer was working odd jobs during college. Those jobs included driving a delivery truck. Tammy Atkins appears in his video “Farmer’s Daughter”. The couple’s son Elijah appears in the music video for “Watching You.” Atkins also has two stepdaughters, Lindsey and Morgan.

His 2006 album, “If You’re Going Through Hell,” reached No. 3 on the U.S. country charts, and went platinum, as well.

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