Already Arrested in College, Young NFL RB Arrested Again
The 2019 offseason isn’t going well so far for Bengals running back Mark Walton.
Coming off a disappointing rookie season, Walton was arrested late Friday night in his hometown of Miami and charged with misdemeanor battery.
Police say the incident stemmed from an argument Walton was having with a couple in the parking garage of his condo building.
Walton was obstructing the entrance to the garage as the couple was trying to enter with their vehicle, police said, according to the Miami Herald.
The couple then asked him to move out of the way and an argument ensued. The woman in the vehicle started filming Walton with her phone, which allegedly prompted a physical altercation.
Walton “grew angry and snatched the phone from her,” the Herald reported, citing a police spokeswoman. “He and the woman got into a tussle, both suffering scratches in the altercation, police said.”
Walton was arrested and taken to a Miami-Dade County jail, where he posted bond and was released.
As CBS Sports notes, the second-year player could face NFL discipline in addition to any legal consequences for his alleged actions.
Walton also ran into trouble with the law while at the University of Miami, when he was arrested in 2016 for alleged drunk driving.
Then then-19-year-old was charged with DUI, though that charge was later dropped by the state attorney’s office.
Walton was drafted in the fourth round by the Bengals last year and was utilized as the team’s third-string running back during his rookie season.
He ran for just 34 yards while backing up Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard. He also saw significant time on special teams.
Walton played three years at the University of Miami, where he earned third-team All-ACC recognition as a sophomore. He appeared in just five games his junior year before suffering an ankle injury.
Walton left school early, in part due to his family situation. His mother died of a stroke while he was in college, while his father had been murdered when Walton was a child.
Walton also has a child born in 2017 and several siblings who he wanted to help support.
Former Miami Hurricanes running back Frank Gore praised Walton’s ability when the Bengals drafted him last spring.
“He’ll be fine,” Gore told the Herald. “Mark does everything — catches, runs, is tough, loves the game. That’s what we do when we’re from Miami. We live, sleep, eat football. Don’t matter what he gets picked, as long as he gets out there, he’ll show that team they made the right choice.”
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