Surprise, surprise, surprise...
Posted on 03/23/2010 10:03:33 AM PDT by Dacula
ATLANTA — Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, who had been in the suburban Atlanta area to help celebrate his parents' anniversary, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and released from jail a few hours later, officials said Monday.
The 28-year-old fifth-year pro was arrested at 4:29 a.m. Saturday, Marietta Police Officer Jennifer Murphy said. Marietta is about 15 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Brown's mother, Joyce Brown, told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Monday that Brown was visiting his hometown of Cartersville for her and her husband's 32nd anniversary. She said he had eaten dinner with relatives and then went to a club. She didn't know the name of the club, but the night was not part of the anniversary celebration.
She said her son was pulled over for failing to use a turn signal, but believes he was targeted because he was driving a high-priced car and is black.
Murphy would not provide details of the arrest and the AP has filed an open records request for the information. Officials at the Smyrna City Jail say Brown posted $1,110 bond and was released hours after his arrest. Cartersville is about 20 miles from Marietta.
His arrest comes weeks after Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of assaulting a 20-year-old college student in a southern Georgia nightclub on March 5. He has not been charged and denies the accusation.
Brown's mother said she believes both police and the media unfairly single out football players.
"Just because of who they are, they shouldn't be pinpointed," Brown said. "They're still people, too."
Brown's agent, Todd France, did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages seeking comment. A team spokesman had no comment on the arrest. Brown's mother said her son had an attorney but wouldn't give a name.
Team owner Stephen Ross, who is attending NFL meetings in Orlando, Fla., said the organization is unhappy about the recent spate of arrests of its players. Cornerback Will Allen was charged with driving under the influence in Miami Beach, and defensive tackle Tony McDaniel was accused of domestic violence at his home in Davie, both last month.
"It certainly doesn't make us happy, and it is a concern," Ross said withoutspecifically talking about Brown. "I think the coaches and (Dolphins football czar) Bill Parcells are disappointed and concerned, and they are addressing it."
Brown's season ended early with an injury to his right foot. He was the Dolphins' leading rusher at the time and was the key player in their wildcat formation before being placed on injured reserve Nov. 18. He had 648 yards rushing on 147 carries and eight touchdowns in 2009 before he was injured. Over his career, he has 4,081 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns.
I get so tired every time someone screams racism when they are to be blamed for their own actions. No one made him drink and drive under the influence.
But his mommy sure knows...
another athelet living up to the high standards of his profession and taking responsability for his actions.
An athlete pulled off for a DUI? Wow, that’s breaking news!
These stories are not worthy of national news coverage.
Surprise, surprise, surprise...
What? An NFL player has parents who are MARRIED?
But seriously, you would think if the mom accuses the police of pulling over a DWB, it would be interesting to see if the car had tinted windows or not.
I’m friends with an NFL player, and every team has a limo service on 24-hour call to avoid this situation. Too bad Ronnie.
Putting that Auburn education to good use.
Why on earth is a police officer pulling someone over for failure to use a turn signal? Nice to know Atlanta is such a safe city that cops have extra time to stop that and jaywalking.
Wealthy and stupid alert.
It is the end of the month and ALL Georgia police officers are actively seeking money for their department.
It is one of those infractions that invites the cops to pull you over. OTOH, it is on the books and you are instructed to use signals as a means of proper vehicle operations so no sympathy here.
“She said her son was pulled over for failing to use a turn signal, but believes he was targeted because he was driving a high-priced car and is black.”
My guess: he was weaving all over the place, and the police office chose his not using the turn signal to pull him over. Oh - and his mother is apparently another one of those “my child can do no wrong” parents. Pathetic.
Perhaps she would care to explain the hundreds of white people in 1973 Buicks pulled over every day for DUI?
He sounds wise, and should advice the rest of the players to do the same. Marietta is pretty tough on DUI so I am sure this player will have to pay a lot of money to the county not to get charged or have the charges dropped to a lesser charge. Yeah that is the way the game works.
Actually, he wasn’t pulled over in Atlanta. He was pulled over in Marietta, about 15 miles north of Atlanta, and actually an older town than Atlanta. Marietta runs a tight ship.
... at 4:30 AM?
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