In light of Bears’ running back Cedric Benson getting pepper sprayed by police following an incident on his boat last weekend, The Love of Sports ranked the top 10 most embarrassing athlete arrests of all time.
1. Najeh Davenport
In July of 2002, the Pittsburgh Steeler rookie fullback was arrested for burglary and criminal mischief; charges stemming from an incident that took place in April of that year. Late one night, Davenport, a former standout at the University of Miami (rated the No. 2 fullback in the draft) snuck into a dorm room at nearby Barry University. A woman sleeping in the room awoke around 6:00am to find Davenport leaving an extra load in her laundry hamper. “Dookie” was sentenced to roughly 100 hours of community service for defecating in the woman’s closet, but continued to maintain his innocence, arguing “Where’s the evidence? Where’s the manure?” After the trial, his lawyer said, with a straight face, “Najeh wants to put this behind him.”8. Joe Cullen
Yet another case of a coach under fire for a “uniform violation.” On August 24, 2006, the Detroit Lions defensive line coach was arrested for obscene and indecent conduct after he took a little late-night drive in the buff. Wearing not a stitch of clothing, Cullen rolled up to a Wendy’s drive-thru window and calmly ordered a burger, fries and a drink. (No word on whether the cashier asked him if he wanted to “supersize it.”) Cullen was asked to pull over and wait for his meal, at which point the manager on duty called the police. Less than a week later, the nudie foodie was arrested again. This time he was clothed, but driving under the influence. A year later, Lions QB Jon Kitna caused a stir when he showed up at a teammate’s Halloween party dressed as Cullen, with his wife dressed as the red-braided “Wendy.”
I couldn’t imagine what that drive thru attendant thought when he/she saw Cullen drive up in his birthday suit. I picture Cullen being calm – like nothing was wrong. If that’s not a Will Ferrell Saturday Night Live skit, I don’t know what is.
