Desmond Bryant arrested
Details on what led to this morning's arrest are not available, but according to the Miami-Dade County Corrections website, Bryant was booked at 9:24 a.m. ET on a criminal mischief charge of over $200 and under $1,000.
There is never a good time to be placed under arrest, but Bryant couldn't have picked a worse time to wear state-issued bracelets as he is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 12.
Bryant was signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard University in 2009. Not only did Bryant make Oakland's 53-man roster as a rookie, he was active for 31 of 32 games during his first two seasons, playing on around 30 percent of the defensive snaps. After posting 2.5 sacks in 2010, Bryant started 10 of 16 games in 2011, which increased his playing-time to over 50 percent. Bryant also had a career-high five sacks in 2011 and, as a restricted free agent, was tendered at the second-round level, which carried a $1.927 million base salary for the 2012 season.
Bryant only started only eight of 16 games last season, but played in over 60 percent of the snaps and posted four sacks and figures to draw some interest on the free agent market. Sunday's arrest could narrow his market and reduce the value of contract offers from other clubs, particularly when it comes to the amount of guaranteed money.
As PFT notes, there was a rumor on Twitter that the player arrested was Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, who has a history of off-field issues, including an arrest last July after his mother accused him of assaulting her. No charges were filed in that case, but that incident led to the creation of certain restrictions that Bryant must follow to remain with the Cowboys organization.
Bryant (the Cowboy) heard the rumors of his arrest and, as current NFL players do, reacted on his Twitter page.
"Ooo (****) false rumors about jail? Lol I was working out at 2 something in the morning in Dallas tx", Bryant wrote.
Bryant's tweet about working out at two in the morning is a reminder of what Seattle Seahawks head coach John Schneider said about how players are adjusting what they say on social media outlets, knowing that their franchises are monitoring those sites.
"There are some guys on Twitter, and it's like they're trying to be Eddie Haskell now," Schneider said at the scouting combine on Thursday. "They're putting out, 'Oh, I'm going to work out and it's 3:30 in the morning.'
