Former NFL Star Warren Sapp Arrested for Allegedly Assaulting Two Women

By Cheri Cheng - 03 Feb '15 10:24AM

Former NFL lineman Warren Sapp was arrested under the suspicion of soliciting a prostitute and allegedly assaulting two women on Monday in Phoenix, AZ.

The incident occurred at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown hotel. At 2:30 a.m., police officers were investigating a noise disturbance after being contacted by a woman who stated that she had been assaulted.

"The incident was alleged to have occurred in a guest room, after meeting in the lobby while she and another female were there as escorts," said Sgt. Trent Crump, a police spokesman. "During a meeting in the room, an argument ensued, allegedly over money and the altercation turned physical, spilling out into the hallway. During the investigation, detectives were able to establish that an act of prostitution occurred in the room by at least one of the females."

Sapp, 42, was taken into custody and booked into the Maricopa County Jail, police stated.

Sapp, who is a Hall of Famer, was working as an analyst with NFL Network, a post he has held since 2008. Sapp was in Phoenix to cover Sunday's Super Bowl XLIX. Hours after his arrest, NFL Network announced that it has decided to suspend Sapp.

"Warren Sapp has been suspended indefinitely without pay from NFL Network pending the outcome of ongoing police investigation,'' Alex Riethmiller, a spokesman for the network, said in a statement.

Sapp made his first appearance before a Phoenix Municipal Court judge late Monday afternoon. He was released and has a pending court date of Feb. 23. If found guilty, Sapp faces a maximum penalty of $2,500 in fines. He could go to jail for six months followed by three years of probation. If convicted on the prostitution charge, he could be sentenced to 15 mandatory days in jail.

This is not the first time that Sapp has been arrested at around the same time as a Super Bowl. In 2010, Sapp was arrested the day before the Super Bowl on a domestic battery charge. The case was later dropped due to inconsistencies between the victim and the evidence.

Sapp's NFL career spanned from 1995 to 2007. He was a tackle and defensive end for Tampa Bay and Oakland. In 2013, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.