Cleveland Browns seventh-round draft pick Armonty Bryant was arrested Friday morning in Ada, Oklahoma, and charged with driving under the influence, according to a police report.
The Ada News reports that Bryant was pulled over late Friday night and refused a breathalyzer. The arresting officer reported smelling alcohol on Bryant’s breath and asked him to step out of the vehicle. When asked if he’d had anything to drink, the report said Bryant initially denied it. The officer administered sobriety tests at the scene and said Bryant reportedly had difficulty with several of the steps. Bryant then admitted to having “a few drinks earlier in the evening.”
The officer claimed that, after 10 attempts at administering a breathalyzer, Bryant just “puffed his cheeks and acted like he was blowing into the Intoxilyzer.”
Jail records show Bryant had posted his $500 bail and was checked out of the Justice Center at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
On the third day of the 2013 draft, the Browns drafted Bryant in the seventh round (No. 217 overall) despite his off-field baggage. Bryant was suspended for three games in 2012 after being arrested on the practice field in October due to charges of selling $20 of marijuana twice to an undercover officer. Following his selection, Bryant said he was grateful for the Browns taking a chance on him and vowed to stay out of trouble.
“Now that I’ve gotten that second chance, I feel like I won’t let anyone down,” said Bryant. ”I won’t let myself, the people around me or the Cleveland Browns down. I appreciate them for taking this chance on me.”
An athletic defensive end, Bryant was largely considered a low-risk selection with a high potential reward if he were to stay focused.
“We are aware of the incident and are now in the process of collecting more information,” Browns vice president of media relations Neal Gulkis said in a statement. “We will not have any further comment.”
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