A troubled former NFL star has again fallen foul of the law by reportedly "plowing through mailboxes and hitting a parked car", and now faces DUI and criminal mischief charges after being arrested in Kentucky on Wednesday.
Rey Maualuga, who played for the Cincinnati Bengals for seven seasons and was last in action at the Miami Dolphins in 2017, was apprehended and booked into the Kenston County Jail at exactly 8:19 PM on Wednesday.
Details surrounding his arrest were originally unclear, but then police documents that were obtained by TMZ Sports shed light on the chaos.
NFL’s Rey Maualuga arrested DUI 🚨 pic.twitter.com/yjfzwyc8ly
— SOHOOD NEWS 24-7 🧨🔥🔥🔥 (@7Sohood) August 12, 2021
It is alleged that Maualuga drove through yards and plowed into mailboxes before hitting a parked car, with witnesses saying that the 34-year-old was driving the vehicle which caused the damage.
Officers explained Maualuga was "sweating profusely" when questioned, stunk of alcohol and owned up to consuming "a few" alcoholic beverages prior to driving.
He told cops he "did not know what had happened as he was trying to get home", and "had apparently driven into the wrong subdivision where he lost consciousness, and crashed into multiple things".
It is added in their report that Maualuga "was telling people he was sorry, mentioned he had screwed up, and that he's already had multiple DUIs and this one would potentially put him in jail for a long time."
Thank you Cincinnati for 8 great years! I will be forever grateful for all that you have done for my family and I! #whodey
— Rey Maualuga (@maualuga58) March 27, 2017
Maualuga refused to take sobriety tests and an intoxilyzer, and will now appear in court in September after being released on $1,000 bail.
But as he mentioned to onlookers, the three charges of driving under the influence, first degree criminal mischief and third degree criminal mischief aren't his first encounter with the law.
Felt good to be back on the field RT @MiamiDolphins: Looking good @maualuga58.#TENvsMIA pic.twitter.com/wNOU1t5B1D
— Rey Maualuga (@maualuga58) October 9, 2017
In July last year, he was arrested by Kentucky's Villa Hills Police Department accused of drink driving and driving recklessly.
Yet his legal woes date back to 2010 when he was arrested on suspicion of DUI after just one full season in the NFL while widely regarded as one of the best college football linebackers of all time.
In 2017, he was arrested for allegedly attacking a member of staff at a Miami nightclub while starring for the Dolphins, which as mentioned was his last assignment in a career that spanned 108 top level games in total.
