Crime & Justice

NFL Player Arrested for Naked Fight With Deputy Near Children’s Center

‘FULL SPEED WITH CLOSED FIST’

Malik McDowell’s attorney said the “bizarre behavior” may have been the result of someone slipping him “something he was unaware of.”

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Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell has been arrested after allegedly stripping naked, walking onto the property of a children’s learning center, and assaulting a sheriff’s deputy. The Broward Sheriff’s Office charged McDowell, 25, with public exposure, resisting arrest with violence, and battery on a law enforcement officer in Florida. After authorities arrived on the scene, McDowell “charged” at a deputy “at full speed with closed fist,” according to an arrest report. The “violent attack” left the officer “dazed” and injured. A lawyer for McDowell explained that “apparently somebody may have slipped him something or given him something he was unaware of, which explains some of his bizarre behavior.” The Browns said Tuesday that team officials were “aware of the very concerning incident” and were “gathering more information.” McDowell previously played for the Seattle Seahawks, who released him after a February 2019 arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resisting arrest, and assault.

Read it at Sun Sentinel