Chicago Bears tight end/fullback Evan Rodriguez was reportedly arrested on Thursday on charges of disorderly intoxication after a vehicle he was a passenger in got into an accident in south Florida.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times , Rodriguez, 24, was riding in a car with another man when they got into a crash around 9:30 pm Wednesday in Miami Beach.
Police reports say that after the accident, Rodriguez was initially unwilling to provide officers with identification, saying, “For what? I don’t need this, I’m an NFL player. I don’t need all the media stuff.”
The Bears rookie eventually handed over his ID but refused to leave the street and walk over to the sidewalk when instructed by the police to do so.
According to the reports, Rodriguez reportedly said, “I’m hard-headed like that, and I don’t have to listen.”
Authorities say he also stepped in front a cop car and began yelling at the driver, “Hey, man, you don’t have to do that.”
After continually screaming at officers and interfering with the police’s investigation of the accident, Rodriguez was placed under arrest.
He was booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer at 5:32 am.
The arresting officer reported that Rodriguez had slurred speech, blood-shot, watery eyes, and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath.
The Bears rookie was released Thursday morning on $1,500 bail.
“We are aware of the reports regarding Evan Rodriguez,” the Chicago Bears said in a statement. “We are currently gathering information to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the situation.”
A fourth-round draft pick out of Temple University, where he was a tight end, Rodriguez finished his first season with the Bears in 2012 and had four catches for 21 yards while starting five games.
ESPN notes Rodriguez had been training in South Florida with Bears teammates Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery since the middle of February.