5 NFL players who were arrested and cut by their teams for DUIs
The NFL has an uncomfortable history with players breaking the law. Domestic assault, drug charges, and DUIs have been, by far, the most common offense committed by players within the league.
However, there have been some rather high-profile cases in which a player has been arrested for driving under the influence and then been cut by their respective team.
NFL franchises are finding it increasingly difficult to make decisions on players who have fallen foul of the law. Unfortunately, it usually comes down to how talented they are.
Obviously, there are cases where it is just so egregious that a player has virtually seen his NFL career end on the spot. Henry Ruggs springs to mind in this sense, although more on that later.
Teams don’t want their brand to be associated with a player who has committed one of the crimes that is thought of so poorly by the general public.
Whilst people can make mistakes, and rehabilitation is not impossible after a DUI, it can be very difficult if their actions end up having consequences for innocent bystanders or road users.
In this list, we'll look at 5 NFL players who were arrested for DUI and were then cut by their team.
#1 – Henry Ruggs
Henry Ruggs was a receiver set to have a great NFL career with the Las Vegas Raiders, until he threw it all away with an act of carelessness, selfishness, and stupidity.
After hitting almost 150MPH in his vehicle while intoxicated, the receiver ended up directly causing the death of a young woman and her dog, who were both burned to death in their vehicle after a collision.
Young people make mistakes, and Ruggs after his rookie year was very much in that category. However, this was such a heinous incident that there is little to no chance of Ruggs ever appearing in the NFL again.
Henry Ruggs appears in court for the first time since November. The judge will allow his blood test as evidence in the deadly crash that killed Tina Tintor and her dog. Arrest reports say Ruggs was driving 156 mph seconds before the crash. https://t.co/jNWLvbqLxn
He is likely to serve jail time and was cut on the spot by the Raiders. The scale of his misbehavior became abundantly clear in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
#2 – Donte Stallworth
Donte Stallworth had everything going for him in 2008, having signed a seven-year contract with the Cleveland Browns worth around $35 million.
While his performances on the field weren’t quite justifying the money being paid to him, it was to be a DUI which ended his time with the Browns.
In 2009, Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian in Florida, with the wide receiver driving around 50MPH in a 40MPH zone.
What was bizarre about the incident was how Stallworth said he flashed his headlights to warn Reyes he was oncoming, but didn’t bother stopping with the pedestrian still on the road.
Blood tests showed Stallworth was over the legal limit for alcohol intake when driving and was charged with DUI manslaughter.
He would eventually serve 24 days in jail with 1000 hours of community service. Though the Browns didn’t release him instantly, due to the fact he wasn’t being paid by the team during his time on the suspended list, as soon as he was eligible to return to the NFL, the Browns cut him.