Warren Sapp Arrested for Domestic Violence

Former NFL star and Showtime's "Inside The NFL" analyst Warren Sapp was arrested Saturday, February 6, after an alleged altercation with a girlfriend at the Shore Club Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, led to a charge of domestic battery. Sapp, who is in Miami for the Super Bowl, had agreed to allow the girlfriend to stay overnight in his room -- and that is the only thing the two parties agree upon when relating the events that led up to the former defensive standout's arrest. The arrest, according to TMZ, has also resulted in Warren Sapp being suspended by the NFL Network (pending investigation).

According to the alleged victim, Sapp's girlfriend of two years, Warren Sapp came into her room early in the morning and dragged her out of bed, starting an argument about some guys she had been hanging around earlier the previous evening. He then "grabbed her and began to choke her" and threw her out of the room, she claims.

But Warren Sapp tells a different story. He told Miami Beach Police that he had originally allowed the alleged victim to stay in his room but had changed his mind. He said that he was "expecting company" and wanted her to leave. He said that he was trying to help her do just that and she fell.

The arrest report notes that Warren Sapp allegedly attacked his girlfriend at around 5 a.m. Saturday morning, and, as a result, the alleged victim exhibited "a swollen right knee and bruises on the back of her neck."

Needless to say, "helping her leave" seemed to be a bit forceful. However, that assumption may not be true. Sapp's girlfriend may have incurred the injuries somewhere else and, after having the altercation with Sapp over leaving the room, decided, in a moment of pique, to use her injuries to her advantage.

However, in this he said/she said story, Warren Sapp's rendition sounds the least likely. Even if true and he never laid a violent hand on her, his story reads like the cliche domestic violence cover story -- she fell, she ran into the door, she's clumsy, etc.

Unfortunately, domestic violence isn't an isolated incident in the NFL, either. TMZ reported that the former girlfriend of Steven Jackson, a running back for the St. Louis Rams, filed domestic violence charges against her former boyfriend for beating her up while she was pregnant. According to the complaint, she would later leave Jackson because he threatened to beat her up again at a music festival in New Orleans. Steven Jackson released a statement later denying the allegations, stating that he had "read accusations made by Supriya Harris, and they are untrue."

Also making headlines just before the NFL season opener was San Diego Chargers star Shawne Merriman, who was arrested for false imprisonment and battery when he attempted to stop reality show personality Tila Tequila from leaving his home during a party. Merriman said Tequila seemed drunk and he attempted to restrain her. Tila Tequila says that Merriman choked her and threw her to the ground. Charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence.

Denver Broncos rookie tight end Richard Quinn was arrested for harassment and domestic violence in September. His girlfriend called 911 after he grabbed her and "shook her to the ground," according to Taragana.com. Quinn told police that he had only grabbed his girlfriend after she began hitting him in the face, but police were not able to ascertain in marks on the football player.

But some suggest that the number of domestic violence cases reported is far below the actual number that exists (a reflection of domestic cases in the general populace, in microcosm). There have been 485 arrests made against NFL ballplayers since 2000, according to a database compiled by the San Diego Union-Tribune, which readily admits that the list is far from comprehensive. The database lists arrests for incidents that are more severe than something like a speeding ticket. Many of those arrests include domestic violence charges. The Big Lead listed 14 domestic violence arrests between January 2008 and September 2009.

Warren Sapp was pulled from the NFL Network's coverage of the Super Bowl as a result of his arrest. The network issued a statement that the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders defensive lineman would not appear on the network until the matter was fully reviewed.

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Sources:

TMZ.com
Taragana.com
TheBigLead.com
SignOnSanDiego.com