In another bizarre incident involving an NFL player, Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell was arrested in Florida on Tuesday after being spotted walking in the nude in close proximity to an occupied children’s learning center.
Broward County deputies received a call Monday of reports of a naked man walking near a school, according to an arrest report obtained by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Assistant State Attorney Eric Linder refuted conflicting reports and confirmed that the man, identified as McDowell, had actually entered the property where children were inside, and he was captured on the surveillance video butt naked.
The police were called and that’s when McDowell reportedly had a meltdown that included physically assaulting a deputy. According to a report, McDowell allegedly charged at the deputy “at full speed with a closed fist,” citing it was a “violent attack”.
He was tased and finally handcuffed and restrained by six officers. While resisting arrest, McDowell was allegedly kicked by one of the officers to keep him down. But McDowell has a history of run-ins with the law, and he’s obviously suffering from some serious mental issues.
Promising NFL Defensive Tackle
McDowell, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive tackle played in 15 games for Cleveland this season, recording three sacks and 19 solo tackles. The 25-year-old out of Michigan State, was charged with one count of aggravated battery on an officer, resisting arrest and public exposure for the incident that took place in Deerfield, Broward County Jail records showed on Tuesday.
The Browns released a statement Tuesday about the arrest, which was aired on NFL Network.
“We are aware of the very concerning incident and arrest involving Malik McDowell and are in the process of gathering information. We understand the severity of this matter and our thoughts are for the well-being of all involved. We have no further comment on this team.”
More Drama For Cleveland Franchise
The Cleveland Browns didn’t need this headache as the franchise enters one of the most crucial off seasons in history. Cleveland is already reeling from miserably underachieving this season and have some serious personnel decisions to make. Now it has a PR nightmare to deal with, which leads everyone down a familiar rabbit hole.
Sympathy for McDowell will be split between those people who feel he’s just another crazy football player acting recklessly.
The NFL regular season has been over for about 9 days and we already got players in police chases, DUI, and walking around butt naked committing aggravated battery. 🤦🏻♂️🥴
— Lawrence Tynes (@lt4kicks) January 18, 2022
And those who will blame the effects of CTE and the brain damage that comes with repeated blows to the head in football. It’s something that the NFL still refuses to admit is happening frequently from the youth levels on up.
When I see things like the Malik McDowell video my first thought is always that nobody in their right mind would WANT to do that…so I always just pray for them and for them to get the help that they need.
— Mekka Don (@MekkaDonMusic) January 18, 2022
Therefore, when an NFL player commits suicide or assaults someone or dives into a depression and addiction to alcohol or drugs, it will always be polarizing and surrounded by much speculation as to why he acted in such an inhumane manner.
Henry Ruggs chose to drink and drive and speed. He killed someone as a direct result of his actions. Not CTE. That’s pretty clear cut.
McDowell’s actions, however, scream, “something just ain’t right.”
Hopefully, he won’t be demonized, but instead given the mental health care he needs. The man still has a promising NFL career.
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