Detroit Lions' Ronnell Lewis was arrested Tuesday evening after he and another man got into a fight and had to be removed from a bar in Norman, Okla.. Police were called to the bar around 1:30 a.m. and had to physically remove Lewis after he punched the other man. As Lewis continued to attempt to fight, one officer was forced the use his Taser twice in order to get Lewis on the ground. Both Lewis and the other man were charged with three misdemeanors, including disturbing the police, public intoxication and interference with an official process.
Lewis was a fourth-round draft pick for Detroit in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played only one snap at defensive end and saw no other playing time the rest of the season. He was expected to play an expanded role on defense after the release of Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril. The team was notified of Lewis' arrest.
"We are aware of the incident involving Ronnell Lewis. We are in the process of gathering more information and have no further comment at this time," the Lions said in a released statement.
Lewis is the second Detroit player arrest in the past month. Amari Spievey was charged with felony assault and misdemeanor risk of injury to a child after getting into a dispute with his girlfriend over child-support payments. The charges are expected to be dropped in June as the two have entered into a family counseling program.
The Lions have a long history with arrest. Last year, they dealt with an arrest or citation every month during the offseason, forcing the team to part with two players before training camp. Head coach Jim Schwartz said he does not believe the off-the-field issues surrounding players have been a distraction.
"Honestly, that was brought up by you guys. That wasn't a distraction at all, particularly once we got to training camp. The distraction involved in that was in off-season workouts and easily in training camp when guys got a mic stuck in their face and said, 'what do you think about it?'"
The Lions finished last season a disappointing 4-12. They are in the market for defensive ends in the upcoming draft and could look to replace Lewis after his arrest.
