Shawne Merriman Arrested for Alleged Tila Tequila Shot

Avid Twitter user and San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested early Sunday, accused of choking and restraining his girlfriend, MTV reality star Tila Tequila, at his home in Poway, north of San Diego. Tila Tequila, 27, famous for her MTV reality show "A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila,"was taken to a nearby hospital, signing s citizen's arrest warrant against Shawne Merriman. San Diego Sheriff's Department spokesman Jan Caldwell said that Shawne Merriman, 25, was taken into custody at around 8:30 a.m. and charged with battery and false imprisonment. His bail was set at $58,000, and he was released at 11:00 a.m.

Shawne Merriman's lawyer denied, according to TMZ, the accusations against the three-time Pro Bowl star. Merriman claims that Tila Tequila had been "extremely inebriated" and had tried to leave Merriman's home when he had tried to stop her.

Tila Tequila says that Shawne Merriman choked her and threw her to the ground. Police responded to a woman saying that she was "choked and physically restrained" at 3:45 a.m.

TMZ has since published pictures of Shawne Merriman and Tila Tequila at the Stingaree nightclub in San Diego, where Merriman and Tequila reportedly partied all night long. The TMZ-acquired photos were taken at around 1:00 a.m.

A.J. Smith, San Diego Chargers general manager, said in statement, "It's disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman. We'll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course."

According to the Associated Press, Smith has been unhappy with Shawne Merriman's off-field activities for some time. Whether or not, Merriman's alleged choking incident will affect his play time remains to be seen. The Chargers, who are picked by many experts as prime Super Bowl contenders, begin their season September 14 against Oakland.

The San Diego Chargers, as a team, have been plagued with arrests and scandals since 2006. There were seven separate police incidents with Chargers players in 2006. In 2006, Shawne Merriman was suspended for four games when he tested positive for steroids.

The Tila Tequila incident comes just two weeks after Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was hit with a civil lawsuit in late July that alleges that he raped a woman in Reno, Nevada, in July 2008. Andrea McNulty alleged in the lawsuit that Ben Roethlisberger lured her to his hotel room, forcibly detained her and raped her. McNulty also alleged in her lawsuit that the eight other defendants, all workers at the casino where Andrea McNulty once worked, helped cover up the incident.

Another case of intimate violence involving an NFL star occurred in July when retired Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair's secret affair with a 20-year-old waitress tragically made headlines. An apparent murder suicide, Sahel Kazemi, who had been Steve McNair's girlfriend for several months, had shot the Pro Bowler four times, twice to the head, before shooting herself.

According to several sources, Shawne Merriman and Tila Tequila could not be reached for comment about the alleged incident and Merriman's arrest. But Twitter boards are said to be on fire...

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Sources:

Associated Press
TMZ.com