Retired NFL/Dancing Star Warren Sapp Arrested On Domestic Battery Charge

Warren Sapp, a former NFL defensive lineman and Dancing with the Stars' Season 7 runner-up, has been arrested on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge.
Sapp is accused of attacking his girlfriend about 5 a.m. Saturday at the Shore Club Hotel in Miami, the Miami Beach Police Department said.

According to an arrest affidavit, the victim had a swollen knee and bruises on her neck. The woman — who was not identified — told police that she was partying with Sapp and her friends at the hotel and asked for his room key when she got tired. After a few hours, Sapp went to the room, tried to pull her out of bed and throw her out, the affidavit said. They argued "about some guys she had been hanging out with earlier" and, she told investigators, Sapp started to choke her and pushed her down on a couch.

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

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

See photos of Warren Sapp

Sapp, who played college football at the University of Miami, was in the area for Super Bowl XLIV. The 37-year-old NFL Network analyst was scheduled to participate in the channel's game coverage Sunday, but has since been benched while the league investigates the matter.

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

A seven-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Sapp played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders for 13 reasons and is a member of both the NFL's 1990s and 2000s All-Decade teams. Sapp, who retired from playing in 2008, also is an analyst for Showtime's Inside the NFL.