By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Jan. 10, 2010
Safety Jermaine Phillips is arrested and charged with domestic battery by strangulation after an argument with his wife. Police said Phillips and his wife quarreled after she questioned him about a woman's number on his cell phone, and authorities say Phillips admitted to pushing his wife by her neck.
The charge, a third-degree felony, was dropped. Phillips, who had just finished playing his final season under contract with the team, was not re-signed.
May 16, 2010
Receiver Mario Urrutia, who spent three games on the active roster in 2009 but mostly has been a member of the practice squad, is arrested and accused of a minor driver's license violation by Hillsborough County deputies. He was not prosecuted, and his status with the team was not affected.
Aug. 31, 2010
Defensive assistant coach Chris Mosley, who worked with linemen, is arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Tampa. Officers said his blood-alcohol content was at least 0.137, above the level at which a person is presumed impaired in Florida (0.08). Mosley remained with the team through 2010. His contract was not renewed this spring, when the Bucs hired co-defensive line coaches.
Sept. 22, 2010
Safety Tanard Jackson is suspended for 12 months by commissioner Roger Goodell for a violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. Jackson was suspended for four games in 2009, and this violation prompted the more serious penalty. Jackson is eligible for reinstatement on Sept. 22. Even if he comes back then, he will miss training camp and at least several weeks of the 2011 season.
Oct. 23, 2010
Tight end Jerramy Stevens, who came to the Bucs with a history of offenses, is arrested in Tampa on three charges, including possession of marijuana with intent to sell. An officer said he found 38 grams of marijuana in his vehicle. Stevens, who had several alcohol-related arrests in his past and was accused of sexual assault (but not charged) while at the University of Washington, was released from the team two days later because the Bucs had taken a zero-tolerance approach since his acquisition in 2007.
Stevens' charge of intent to sell has been dropped, but he faces a felony possession charge for which he goes on trial next month.
Nov. 19, 2010
Rookie receiver Mike Williams is arrested early in the morning on suspicion of driving under the influence following what police described as a failed field sobriety test. Williams was found to be below the limit for which a person is presumed impaired by a Breathalyzer test, causing authorities to administer a urine test.
In January, the state attorney's office cleared him based on the urine results. The team backed Williams throughout and played him two days later against the 49ers.
Dec. 13, 2010
Linebacker Geno Hayes is arrested in Tampa and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing after a dustup with security at the Blue Martini Lounge. According to police, an attempt to subdue Hayes with a Taser failed because of a thick jacket, prompting the officer to tackle him. Hayes was not prosecuted for the disorderly conduct charge and pleaded no contest to trespassing, for which the court withheld adjudication. He paid $265 in court costs.
March 4, 2011
Less than two months after his promotion to coordinator of pro scouting, Shelton Quarles is arrested off Interstate 275 in Tampa and charged with driving under the influence. Quarles refused to submit to blood-alcohol content testing, and his case is pending in Hillsborough County court.
April 20, 2011
Coaches assistant Jay Kaiser is arrested after he is accused of driving under the influence. One of the roles Kaiser often performs is driving coach Raheem Morris to and from Bucs-related events. Morris was not with him at the time of the arrest. Kaiser's case is pending.
May 9, 2011
Defensive end Alex Magee is accused of possessing marijuana, which an officer said was detected during a traffic stop for an expired tag. Magee was not arrested because the amount of the drug in question was worthy of just a misdemeanor. But Magee will have to appear in court and face the charge. A date for that has not been set.
The Bucs drew raves from local and national media for their moves during last month's draft.
But there have been headlines of another kind, too, as Tampa Bay's players and team officials continue to show up in the police blotter or find themselves under investigation by the league.
Last week, defensive end Alex Magee was cited for marijuana possession during a traffic stop, making him the 10th Buccaneers player or staff member arrested or accused of a crime since the start of 2010. (That doesn't include safety Tanard Jackson, who is suspended by the league.)
And this week in Dallas, a grand jury is scheduled to hear testimony against cornerback Aqib Talib (who was suspended for the opening game last season by the league for assaulting a cab driver) relating to charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for his alleged role in a shooting incident in March.
General manager Mark Dominik says that most of the situations have been dealt with appropriately — most in-house, others more publicly. But with the numbers piling up, it seemed like a good time to review the incidents and, when applicable, the outcomes.
March 31, 2011
After investigating an incident involving the boyfriend of Aqib Talib's sister, police in Garland, Texas, arrest the cornerback and his mother, Okolo, for alleged aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police say both fired weapons at the boyfriend, Shannon Billings, who had been fighting with Talib's sister. Talib's attorney denies the charge. A grand jury is scheduled to hear the case starting Wednesday and is expected to indict Talib. The Bucs are not permitted to take action against Talib because of the lockout.