Baltimore Ravens defensive back Jimmy Smith became the fifth Ravens team member to be arrested during the offseason when he was taken into custody this weekend and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
ESPN reported that Smith was helping an intoxicated woman in the bathroom of a bar in Towson, Maryland when he refused to comply with police officers who repeatedly asked him to step aside. Allegedly, Smith became argumentative in the hallway after moving away from the nauseated woman and was arrested. Later, Smith was released from custody and issued a citation while the woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to the police.
The entire incident in itself seems pretty tame. However, given the fact that four of his teammates were also recently arrested, the pattern becomes more disturbing. Other players arrested during the offseason include running back Ray Rice (felony aggravated assault, accepted into pretrial diversion program), offensive lineman Jah Reid (misdemeanor battery, accepted into pretrial diversion program), wide receiver Deonte Thompson (felony possession of marijuana, charges dropped), and rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro (misdemeanor destruction of property, drunk and disorderly, July 31 court date).
The Ravens finished 8-8 in 2013 and failed to make the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2007. Given the off-the-field problems, the 2014 standards may be lowered with a new goal of simply having enough players available to suit up.
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