Davone Bess arrested for assault
— -- MIAMI -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Davone Bess has been arrested in Florida on charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer at an airport.
Broward Sheriff's Office records show Bess, 28, was arrested early Friday after acting erratically and confronting an officer at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.
Bess was charged with simple assault on an officer, resisting arrest without violence and disorderly conduct. He was released on $100 bail at 10:35 a.m. ET. It's uncertain if Bess has a lawyer. The Browns said they are "aware of the situation and currently working to gather more information."
A sheriff's report stated Bess seemed to be "under the influence of an unknown narcotic." It also said the receiver was "looking through" the officer as they talked.
Bess was "acting irrationally, dancing, singing with his pants repeatedly falling down," the report said.
At one point, Bess grabbed a cup of coffee that was not his and squeezed it, spraying coffee on the officer. Bess then took a "fighting stance" and the officer hit him on the leg with a baton. The report says Bess removed his shirt and stayed in the stance. He dropped to the ground when more officers arrived.
The arrest comes one day after Bess posted a photo on his Twitter page of a small package containing what appeared to be marijuana. The photo was later deleted. The team said Thursday it was aware of the photo and would deal with the situation internally.
Bess was acquired by Cleveland via trade from the Miami Dolphins last April and given a contract extension and $5.75 million in guaranteed money. He played in the Browns' first 14 games, then was not seen with the team again. And so ended a disappointing season for Bess, who once was named the Dolphins' Man of the Year for his community work. He had career lows with 42 catches for 362 yards this season.
The Browns said Bess had "personal" reasons for missing the final two games, but shortly after he left the team a photo appeared on his Instagram account that showed him lighting what appeared to be a marijuana cigarette.
On Thursday, Bess had a tweet that also has since been removed in which he referred to African-Americans using the N-word. During the season, Bess had said there never was an appropriate time to use that word.
Information from ESPN.com Browns reporter Pat McManamon and The Associated Press was used in this report.
