Video: Former NFL player slammed to ground during arrest
A video of former NFL player Desmond Marrow depicts police actions during an arrest in Henry County, Georgia, and it’s beginning to draw notice as a result.
Marrow, who played college football at the University of Toledo and made the preseason squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012, is slammed to the ground in the video and subdued. He proclaims his innocence in the video. However, police reports indicate that there could be more context than is visible on the video.
Below, via Morrow’s Facebook page, is the video. Warning: this is a violent, possibly disturbing video:
***ATTENTION*** to anyone who views this post , #Share #Like …PLEASE HELP ME GET MY VOICE HEARD!!! I Was Falsely Arrested & taken into custody in #Atlanta #Georgia #HenryCounty by the Henry County Police . I Only Had My Cell Phone in my possession & they claimed to be scared for their lives . I had No type of weapon in my possession , I was arrested for having a Gun that turned out to be my Cell Phone . During the arrest the police knocked my teeth out, slammed me on my head and choked me out until I was unconscious. In addition I suffered a shoulder strain and a concussion along with the heartache of my Wife leaving me during this Very Hard time for my short comings and careless actions. This has affected me mentally and impacted my life in a way I can’t even humanly describe . This isn’t a cry for sympathy, I just need it to be known . . . My cry is for JUSTICE.They threw me into isolation and labeled me a gang member because of my tattoos. I was fully cooperating with the officers with ZERO resistance. I thought I was going to die. I was sure I was passing out or dying when Officer #D.Rose was choking me as my breath kept slipping away. Henry county police dept was trying to keep me quiet, but once they found out I was a former #NFLplayer & there was a video of the incident did they then try to drop my charges. They were basically trying to get me to sell my soul in exchange for the video not being posted and they would drop all the felonies and clear my record. They said I was resisting arrest, being out of control, spitting and assaulting the Officers by head butting them. But GOD recorded it and I have PROOF! You know the truth take a lil longer to make it around lies travel faster . They locked me up & gave me No bond which gave me NO voice YOU guys are my voice I NEED your help . I been sleepin on the floor I can’t get a job with these #Felonies I lost my gym all my clients & training kids is my passion that’s ALL I wana do I can’t pay my child support I would love to see my son I’d take any type of love Bruh it’s real right now #Repost #Share #Like #Repost @theshaderoom @troubleman31 @fox5ny @sharonlfox5 @drtiffanycrutcher @damariosolomonsimmons @real_sharpton #BlackLivesMatter
Posted by Desmond Marrow on Thursday, April 26, 2018
“I Only Had My Cell Phone in my possession & they claimed to be scared for their lives,” Marrow wrote on Facebook. “I had No type of weapon in my possession, I was arrested for having a Gun that turned out to be my Cell Phone . During the arrest the police knocked my teeth out, slammed me on my head and choked me out until I was unconscious. In addition I suffered a shoulder strain and a concussion along with the heartache of my Wife leaving me during this Very Hard time for my short comings and careless actions. This has affected me mentally and impacted my life in a way I can’t even humanly describe . This isn’t a cry for sympathy, I just need it to be known … My cry is for JUSTICE.”
However, there is no indication of what happened before Marrow’s video began. According to local Atlanta station 11Alive, a Dec. 2, 2017 Henry Count police report indicated that the incident may have began as road rage, which Marrow escalated. An officer observed Marrow and another driver having a confrontation in a parking lot, and during the confrontation, Marrow allegedly told another individual he was “going to shoot them.”
Officers patted down Marrow and found that he had no weapon, but according to the report, the officers said they had to arrest Marrow because of the alleged threats. At that point, per the report, Marrow refused to cooperate. Marrow was eventually taken into custody and charged with making terroristic threats, reckless driving and aggressive driving. Henry County police plan to release a statement on Friday.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
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