Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler is in trouble again.
St. Petersburg police arrested Fowler on Tuesday night and charged with simple battery and mischief.
The police report states Fowler left his car to confront a man who made a negative comment about the player’s driving. Following an argument, Fowler hit the man, knocking off his glasses, and then stomped on the glasses. He then took the a man’s groceries and threw them in a lake.
Fowler was released on $650 in bonds.
The Jaguars issued a statement on Wednesday about the arrest.
“The Jaguars are aware of the situation involving defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. and are currently gathering more information,” the Jaguars said. “The team has been in communication with Dante. No further comment will be made at this time.”
And according to new information obtained by Tampa Bay Times writer Greg Auman while investigating this story, Fowler was also arrested in March, 2016, for assaulting a Miami police officer and resisting arrest without violence. Those charges were dropped after he completed an intervention program.
And that’s not all.
Mike Kaye of First Coast News reports Fowler had at least 10 traffic tickets in the last 20 months.
Fowler also brought negative attention to the Jaguars and NFL in early 2016 when TMZ broadcast a video of Fowler watching his girlfriend and former girlfriend engaging in a physical fight, and did nothing to stop it.
The Jaguars have a new football chief (Tom Coughlin) and new head coach (Doug Marrone), who are more no-nonsense than those formerly in charge. And they are trying to change the football culture: the Jaguars last winning season was in 2007. Expect them to make it clear to the Jaguars’ players that this behavior will no longer be tolerated.
Also expect the league to suspend Fowler at some point.
However, it’s a long-shot the Jaguars release Fowler; he’s got too much talent.
The third overall pick of the 2015 draft out of Florida, Fowler is a rare athlete with a unique combination of size (6-3, 267) and speed (ran the forty-yard dash in 4.6 seconds).
“He’s a strong, fast leverage pass rusher who can win with speed or power,” said the Nolan Nawrocki, the nation’s top independent draft analyst. “He has an explosive get-off.”
If this were a reserve defensive end, he’d likely be looking for work after this latest arrest. But players with Fowler’s talent are granted numerous lifelines.
We all know how that works.
Our society is rife with double standards.
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