We were ready to add another tally to the growing list of NFL players arrested this offseason, but it appears San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews is in the clear after all.
A report from the Examiner surfaced late Sunday night, saying that Mathews had been arrested for his alleged involvement in a fight outside of a San Diego nightclub. However, police refuted that allegation early Monday morning, explaining that Mathews was not the man arrested, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“We can say that he was definitely not arrested by SDPD,” Sgt. Robin Rose of the San Diego Police department told the paper. “But there might have been a separate arrest that lead to that [report]. … It was not Ryan Mathews.”
The original report stated that Mathews and a friend got into a verbal altercation with a group of five men outside the nightclub and that Mathews “knocked one man out cold.” A man was arrested in connection with this incident, but it was not Mathews. Police could not confirm whether Mathews was present at the fight or even at the club on Sunday night.
Thirty-one NFL players have been arrested already this offseason, including Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, who was arrested for “protecting himself” outside of a bar in early June, former Cleveland Browns linebacker Ausar Walcott, who was charged with attempted murder for his own involvement in a bar fight just last week, and, of course, former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was charged with murder.
Matthews, who measures in at 6-foot and 220 pounds, has battled through injuries during his brief NFL career, missing 10 games in three seasons. He has run for 2,476 yards and 14 touchdowns during three seasons as the Chargers’ primary tailback.
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Photo via Facebook/Ryan Matthews
