Warren Sapp Charged With Domestic Battery

NFL Network analyst was arrested after an alleged domestic violence incident

Updated 8:37 AM EDT, Sun, Feb 7, 2010

Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK

Getty Images

Former football star and NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp has been charged with misdemeanor domestic battery following an incident at a Miami Beach hotel, police said.

Shortly after police officials confirmed the charge, NFL Network spokesman Dennis Johnson said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Sapp wouldn't be part of the Super Bowl coverage for Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints.

"We have been made aware of the arrest of Warren Sapp by the Miami Beach Police Department," a network statement said. "In light of these circumstances, Warren Sapp will not appear on NFL Network while we review the matter."

The domestic violence allegation was reported around noon Saturday and detectives interviewed Sapp later that day, Miami Beach police spokesman Juan Sanchez said. The incident occurred early Saturday morning at the Shore Club hotel, according to a police news release.

The victim had a swollen knee and bruises on her neck, according to an arrest affidavit. She told detectives that she was partying with Sapp and her friends at the hotel and asked for his room key when she grew tired. Sapp reportedly woke up the victim a few hours later and they started to argue. She told investigators that Sapp started to choke her and pushed her down on a couch.

As the argument escalated, Sapp grabbed the woman by her shirt and neck and threw her down again, the affidavit states.

Sapp told investigators that he let the woman stay in his room but asked her to leave a few hours later. He told police that the woman fell on her leg when he tried to help her get off a couch.

A telephone message left for Sapp's attorney was not immediately returned, nor was an e-mail.

Sapp, a former defensive tackle, played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his NFL career. He was also once a contestant on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."