Former Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons defensive end Ray Edwards got himself into some controversy over the weekend, as the boxer he was facing in a match in North Dakota was suspended for taking a dive.
According to the Associated Press, North Dakota's fight commissioner suspended a boxer from Iowa who was competing against Edwards after he took a dive just 13 seconds into their fight.
The report says that Al Jaeger, the secretary of state and overseer of combative sports events in North Dakota, clearly saw in the video of the match on Saturday that boxer Nicholas Capes was not hit when he went down to ground after the opening bell was rung.
"As we move ahead, we'll take appropriate action as the investigation review unfolds," Jaeger told The Forum.
According to the report, event promoter Cory Rapacz claimed that Capes was a last minute replacement for boxers that did not show up and he had no idea what he was getting into when he took the fight, as Capes is a cruiserweight while Edwards is a heavyweight.
"I feel terrible for him," Rapacz told WDAY-TV. "[Capes] got scared and looked for a way out."
Edwards was a standout on the defensive line for the Vikings after being drafted in the fourth round in 2006. Over his five seasons with the team he had nearly 30 sacks and finished with 33.0 after playing with the Falcons. After signing with Atlanta in July 2011 the team released him in November of last season.
One fan named Bryan Domholt spoke to the Associated Press and said he was disappointed.
"Tickets were 50 bucks apiece. That's a lot of money to spend on a fake sanctioned event," he said.
The event also had appearances from heavyweight Aaron Green, who is a former North Dakota State basketball player, and by former world champion Virgil Hill, a North Dakota native, Rapacz told The Forum.
