Report: Former New England Patriots running back threatened to spit in police officer’s face before being arrested

Orel Dizon
4 Min Read
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Retired running back Dion Lewis, who won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots, is currently in hot water after he was arrested last week at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa in Florida.

The arrest apparently didn’t go smoothly, as the 33-year-old reportedly became hostile towards the cops that were called to the venue.

“Before Dion Lewis was hauled off to jail last week, he allegedly called cops ‘p——‘ and threatened to spit on an officer — this according to new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports,” the site reported.

 

“In the docs, Seminole Police Dept. officers say they were called out to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa in Fla. at around 2 PM on Sept. 18 after venue security claimed Lewis was being ‘unruly.’

 

“Cops say the former New England Patriots running back was told he had to leave the property … and was escorted out to valet where authorities said they allowed him to either cab it or Uber it away from the premises without further repercussions.

 

“But, according to the docs, ‘Lewis became belligerent in front of other casino patrons, calling officers ‘p——,’ and advising he was not leaving property because he did nothing wrong.’

 

“He then allegedly said he’d spit in a sergeant’s face ‘if he touched him.'”

It’s quite a fall from grace for the former champion, who was announced as the assistant running backs coach for the University at Albany earlier this year.

The New York native played eight seasons in the NFL, entering the league as a fifth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2011 draft. In his rookie season, he served as a backup running back and kick returner. He finished with 102 rushing yards and one touchdown on 23 carries and returned 31 kicks for 669 yards.

Lewis already had a reported run-in with law enforcement in 2012. He was arrested for allegedly assaulting the glass doors of a hotel lobby and pulling a fire alarm. The University of Pittsburgh product was apparently intoxicated at the time.

After spending another season with the Eagles, he was sent to the Cleveland Browns, for whom he could not suit up because of a fractured fibula. After a quick stop with the Indianapolis Colts — another team he didn’t play a game for — he made his way to the Patriots.

He finally found a franchise where he could thrive, and he helped New England win Super Bowl LI over the Atlanta Falcons. He had six carries for 27 yards in the game, which may have been crucial for the Patriots because they clawed their way back from a 28-3 deficit to win.

A few years later, Lewis decided to call it quits.

It remains to be seen what will happen now with the retired running back. Per TMZ Sports, he is due back in court in the near future.

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Orel's passion for sports stems from following Michael Jordan’s last title runs with the Chicago Bulls and his namesake Orel Hershiser’s Cleveland Indians tenure in the late 1990s.