Jaguars Players Will Not Be Benched After Incident in London Leaves 4 Arrested
Four members of the Jacksonville Jaguars were arrested in the wee hours of Saturday morning for allegedly not paying a $64,000 bill at a London nightclub.
When they were stopped by security as they were trying to leaving, things got physical as the four players allegedly got into an altercation with the bouncers.
“It was the West End equivalent of King Kong meeting Godzilla,” a source told the U.K’s Sun.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Candora reported that the four players who were arrested were safeties Barry Church, D.J. Hayden, and Jarrod Wilson, and cornerback Ronnie Harrison.
The four Jaguars players arrested for an incident in London were – Barry Church, DJ Hayden, Jarrod Wilson and Ronnie Harrison. The team has released a statement saying they will handle the matter internally
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) October 28, 2018
The arrest happened at 4 a.m. Saturday morning at the London Reign Showclub.
“Things got pretty heated and there was a lot of swearing and shouting and things became physical. In terms of preparation for their match, you couldn’t think of anything worse,” the source told the Sun.
The players were in custody for nine hours and released by authorities. The club decided not to press charges after the players agreed to pay their bill.
To rack up such a massive bill, the Sun said they were drinking champagne at about $577 per bottle, among other libations.
Our story on https://t.co/iLSuC0HswN detailing how #Jaguars defenders Barry Church, Ronnie Harrison, DJ Hayden and Jarrod Wilson were arrested but not charged in what some believe was a misunderstanding: https://t.co/EiP8mn6LFx
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2018
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the players were sent bottles of champagne and other high-end liquors and thought the bottles were comped.
“When the bill arrived, the players refused to pay it, believing that it was not what they owed. An argument ensued and local police made several arrests,” Rapoport reported.
The Jags said they will handle the matter internally.
“We are aware that four of our players were detained over restitution of a bill,” the Jaguars said in a statement reported NFL.com. “The matter is being resolved and the players are with the team. Any discipline will be handled internally.”
There’s no word on what, if any, action the NFL will take.
That’s not exactly the best way to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in a critical game for the Jags, who have lost three straight.
Only one of the arrested players, Hayden, was listed as inactive, La Canfora reported. But that’s more likely due to an injury that has kept him sidelined for the last few weeks than disciplinary action by the team.
The following players are inactive in today’s game against the Eagles. pic.twitter.com/F1EiJdaXFL
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) October 28, 2018
Church, Wilson and Harrison are all eligible to play in today’s game, which kicked off at Wembley Stadium in London at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.
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