Warren Sapp Arrested on Suspicion of Soliciting Prostitution

Phoenix authorities arrested Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp over the weekend on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute. NFL Network fired Sapp in the aftermath of his arrest.

Phoenix police arrested Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp over the weekend on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute. 

Authorities arrested Sapp at 7 a.m. PT on Feb. 2 at a downtown Phoenix hotel. Phoenix sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Brandon Jones told The Arizona Republic on Monday that Sapp was also slapped with assault allegations after a woman claimed she was physically abused when police arrived on the scene. 

Phoenix police spokesman Trent Crump told The Arizona Republic that the woman was with another female companion. Both reportedly worked as escorts. They got into an argument with a customer about money in a hotel room. The quarrel turned physical, spilling from the room into the hotel’s hallway. 

Sapp confessed to police he paid one of the women for sex but he claimed innocence on the assault allegation, per The Arizona Republic. Authorities gave one of the two escorts a citation for prostitution before releasing her. Her companion fled the scene before police arrived. She was eventually tracked down at a Peoria, Az. hotel before law enforcement gave her a citation for violating escort-related ordinances. 

Later during the day, Sapp made his first court appearance, per 12 News (via The Arizona Republic). According to the report, “The state argued prior incidents against Sapp in 2010 and 2014.” His lawyer, Craig Mehrens, claims to not know any prior incidents involving the Pro Football Hall of Famer. 

A Phoenix judge granted Sapp his release with his next court date set for Feb. 23, per 12 News.

Warren Sapp was arrested for allegedly soliciting a prostitute at 7 a.m. in Phoenix http://t.co/6HDkykiTtA pic.twitter.com/qJcVEO5S8j— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 2, 2015

Because of Sapp’s run-in with the law, NFL Network fired him as one of its analysts on Feb. 2. At the time of his dismissal from the network, authorities held Sapp on a $1,500 bond, per NFL.com. 

NFL Network spokesman Alex Riethmiller said,”Warren Sapp’s contract has been terminated and he no longer works for NFL Network,” according to the NFL.com press release.

In another development, Baltimore authorities charged former Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Terrence Cody with 15 counts of animal abuse involving a dog and an alligator, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. 

Police issued a warrant for Cody’s arrest on Monday. He was held on a $10,000 bail, which he eventually posted. Hensley says authorities’ suspicions were aroused after Cody took his dog to a veterinarian for treatment but died not long after. 

Hensley stresses Cody’s one-year deal with the Ravens was set to expire on March 10. The 26-year-old defensive lineman was not expected to be re-signed. The Ravens’ starting nose tackle, Brandon Williams, will continue to play at that position for the foreseeable future. 

For his part, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced during his end-of-season press conference that the “threshold of tolerance” has changed after five of his players were arrested during the summer of 2014. Unfortunately, Cody has been added to that growing list. 

The Ravens released Cody on the same day he was arrested, per ESPN. 

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