Malik McDowell, of the Cleveland Browns, was arrested on January 17, 2022, for allegedly fighting a deputy and indecent exposure in Deerfield Beach, Florida, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Photo: Broward Main Jail
An NFL player was arrested Monday (January 17) for allegedly walking around naked and fighting a deputy in South Florida, per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Cleveland Browns' Malik McDowell, 25, is facing charges of indecent exposure, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, according to an incident report obtained by the newspaper.
A Broward County deputy got a report about a nude man walking near a Deerfield Beach, Florida learning center that was in session, assistant state attorney Eric Linder told a judge Tuesday (January 18). When the deputy approached McDowell, he allegedly rushed at the law enforcement officer with "full speed with a closed fist," the report says.
The deputy says the attack left him "dazed" and he used "de-escalation tactics" during the encounter. McDowell reportedly fled after attacking the deputy, but the deputy used a Taser on him to place him in handcuffs, according to the Sentinel.
During McDowell's court appearance in Broward County Tuesday, his defense attorney claims, "somebody may have slipped him something or given him something he was unaware of, which explains some of his bizarre behavior."
The judge ordered McDowell to be held in jail on a $31,000 bond.
McDowell, a defensive tackle for the Browns, played in 15 games this season and previously played for the Seattle Seahawks. Reporters say he's had previous run-ins with the law, including charges for receiving and concealing a stolen pickup truck, driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest, and assault.