The #TakeAKnee crap takes an interesting turn as some statistics are coming to light. Since 2000, NFL players, on the whole, have been arrested 855 times.
Of these charges, 215 are DUI, 99 are drug-related, 96 are domestic violence cases, and 71 assaults. Two of these charges even include murder.
Now the question is… what teams have racked up the most arrested during this time? An interesting list has been compiled by USA Today which shows just that.
Here are a few of the highlights from MassLive:
1. Minnesota Vikings
Number of arrests: 49
Perhaps the most notable of the Vikings’ arrests was the “Love Boat” scandal, during which Fred Smoot, Daunte Culpepper, Bryant McKinnie and Moe Williams were all arrested. Adrian Peterson’s child abuse case along with 18 DUI cases were also among the Vikings’ arrests over the years.
2. Denver Broncos
Number of arrests: 47
Brandon Marshall accounted for four of these arrests while he was with the team, including two instances of domestic violence and one domestic dispute. The Broncos have had 12 instances of domestic violence since 2000, as well as 12 DUIs.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
Number of arrests: 44
The Bengals currently employ Adam Jones, who has the most arrests of any NFL player since 2000 (10) and was even arrested earlier this year for poking a security guard in the eye. They also employed the player with the third most arrests since 2000, Chris Henry (6), who passed away in 2009. Overall, the Bengals have had nine assaults, nine DUIs and six domestic violence cases over the past 17 years.
4. Tennessee Titans
Number of arrests: 36
Kenny Britt, who has the second-most individual arrests since 2000 (seven times), was arrested six times within a span of two years with Tennessee. In total, the Titans have had 10 DUIs, four assaults and four domestic violence cases over that span.
24. Atlanta Falcons
Number of arrests: 20
Former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was arrested twice during his time with the Falcons — once for trespassing and once for the dogfighting charge that put him in jail for 21 months. Vick’s case was one of three charges of animal abuse the Falcons have seen since 2000.
So with that said, one of the more recent arrests is that of Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks.
He claimed that his arrest was based on racial profiling by the Las Vegas PD. In response, they released their bodycam footage and available information of the arrest to make it perfectly clear to everyone that Bennett was lying.
The Las Vegas Police Protective Association Metro has now sent a letter to Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, asking for an official investigation and “appropriate action” be taken.
The letter is as follows:
“Dear Commissioner Goodel:
On behalf of the rank and file members of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, I request that you conduct an investigation, and take appropriate action, into Michael Bennett’s obvious false allegations against our officers.
While the NFL may condone Bennett’s disrespect for our American Flag, and everything it symbolizes, we hope the League will not ignore Bennett’s false accusations against our police officers.
As you may know, Michael Bennett posted a Twitter message regarding his interaction with our officers.
Bennett wrote, “Las Vegas police officers singled me out and pointed their guns at me for doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Bennett’s message included additional comments, which we believe are false and defamatory.
We believe that a fair investigation will establish that our officers responded to one of the most dangerous calls a law enforcement officer can be assigned- an active shooter firing rounds in a crowded casino.
As our uniformed officers entered the casino, they observed Bennett hiding behind a slot machine. When officers turned towards Bennett, he bolted out of the casino, leaped over four (4) foot barrier wall, and hid from officers as he crouched close to the wall on the sidewalk.
I am sure that your attorney will tell you, our officers had reasonable suspicion, which is the constitutional standard, to detain Bennett until they could determine whether he was involved in the shooting.
Our officers, who are both minorities, had the legal right, and obligation, to detain Bennett based upon the nature of the call and Bennett’s unusual and suspicious actions. Our officers did not detain Bennett because he was, “a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Michael Bennett’s claim that our officers are racists is false and offensive to the men and women of law enforcement. We hope you will take appropriate action against Michael Bennett. I am available to meet with you and will provide any other information you deem necessary.
Very truly yours,
LAS VEGAS METRQ POLICE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
– DETECTIVE STEVE GRAMMAS
PRESIDENT”