Houston Texans player arrested near NFL draft
An NFL player was arrested Friday night on suspicion of public intoxication and breaking a hotel window in Nashville, the Tennessee city where the league is holding its annual draft, police said.
Houston Texans tight end Ryan Griffin, 29, was walking along a downtown Nashville street late Friday when he punched and destroyed a front window at the Hotel Indigo, a witness told police.
Police were called, and an officer saw Griffin “stumbling on the sidewalk, almost going into the road and traffic on the road,” a court affidavit reads.
Griffin’s left hand and fingers were bleeding, and an officer smelled alcohol on his breath, the document says. Griffin was arrested on initial charges of public intoxication and vandalism, Nashville police said.
“He was physically arrested rather than being issued misdemeanor citations for his own safety,” police said in a news release.
His bail was set at $1,750, and he was released from jail just after 7 a.m. Saturday, police said.
A Texans spokeswoman said the team is aware of Griffin’s arrest.
“We are gathering information and will have no further comment at this time,” spokeswoman Amy Palcic said.
The incident happened on the night the NFL held the second and third rounds of its draft. Thousands of NFL fans have flocked to Nashville for the three-day event and related activities and concerts.
The Hotel Indigo is a few blocks northwest of the NFL draft’s main stage near the Cumberland River.
Griffin has played for the Texans since the team drafted him out of the University of Connecticut in 2013. Last regular season, he caught 24 passes for 305 yards.
The Texans selected four players on the first two nights of this year’s draft, including one at Griffin’s position: Kahale Warring, a tight end from San Diego State chosen in the third round Friday night.
CNN’s Rebekah Riess and Wayne Sterling contributed to this report.