Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus was arrested on three misdemeanor counts and four vehicle and traffic charges on Friday, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN. Dareus was "possibly racing" with a black Camaro or Mustang in the afternoon on Friday, and an officer arriving on the scene found Dareus' car crashed into a tree, according to the report.
Marcell Dareus will miss remainder of OTAs following drag racing, arrest
Marcell Dareus was arrested last week and faces multiple misdemeanor charges.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The most serious charge is for reckless endangerment in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. On Tuesday, Bills head coach Doug Marrone told reporters that Dareus would not be participating in further organized team activities, which run through June 12.
“It wasn’t a disciplinary action,” Marrone said. “We’re in a voluntary period.” Marrone said the decision to have Dareus leave OTAs was one that the two made after “sitting down and talking.” The head coach went on to say that Marcell “has made some poor decisions lately.”
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SB Nation attempts to get to the bottom of the offseason's biggest mystery. “I believe in Marcell and I will do everything I can to make sure that we can get him on the right track,” Marrone added. This is now two arrests since the beginning of May for the defensive tackle, which is why Marrone is talking about Dareus being in a bad spot and his poor decision-making at this time. It’s unclear if any actual punishment will be handed down from either the team or the league for either of Dareus’ incidents. The legal process will need to play out in those respects.
Dareus did not sustain any injuries during the incident, according to Marrone, and will return for a mandatory minicamp the week following OTAs.
The other misdemeanors for this incident are for reckless driving and participating in an illegal speed contest. He was also arrested for leaving the scene of a property damage accident, failure to keep right, speeding and moving from a lane unsafely.
Dareus was also arrested early in May in Alabama. He was pulled over for speeding and eventually charged with felony possession of a controlled substance when police discovered synthetic cannabis. The defensive tackle recently spoke regarding the arrest, telling reporters in late May that he is “not a trouble guy,” and that he feels like he’s “on the straight and narrow.” Of course, he did say that “things happen,” specifically saying the words “young” and “dumb” in succession.
For what it’s worth, Dareus also said the media doesn’t know exactly what’s going on with that. He mentioned that the media “put things the wrong way,” and that there’s “not really much for me to linger on.” Dareus said at the time that he has to do the “best I can to represent the Buffalo Bills.” There is still a chance that he could be suspended by the NFL for the early May incident.
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