SHAWNE MERRIMAN AND TILA TEQUILA: NFL Player Arrested, Accused Of Choking Reality Star

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Chargers star outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested Sunday and accused of choking and restraining his girlfriend, reality TV star Tila Tequila, as she tried to leave his suburban home.

Tequila, 27, signed a citizen's arrest warrant, charging Merriman with battery and false imprisonment, San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Gary Steadman said.

Both are felonies.

Deputies responded about 3:45 a.m. to Merriman's house in Poway, north of San Diego, after a woman called to say she was choked by the player and thrown to the ground when she tried to leave, Sheriff's Department spokesman Jan Caldwell said at a news conference.

Merriman's attorney, Todd Macaluso, disputed Tequila's story and said he's confident Merriman won't be charged by the District Attorney's Office.

"There was absolutely no wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Merriman," Macaluso told The Associated Press by phone. "He essentially was doing what was appropriate under the circumstances in trying to protect the safety of Miss Tequila. There were numerous eyewitnesses that will support his version of the events that transpired at his home."

Merriman, 25, was taken into custody and booked into the central jail at about 8:30 a.m. He was released shortly after 11 a.m.

Tequila was taken to a hospital. Her condition was not immediately available.

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Caldwell said deputies determined Tequila had been drinking.

Asked if Merriman was trying to keep Tequila from driving drunk, Macaluso said: "We don't want to comment on her conduct. The bottom line is, he did everything in his power to ensure her safety. He hopes she comes forth and tells the truth."

Caldwell said she wasn't sure if Merriman had been drinking. Macaluso said witnesses he spoke with said Merriman had ordered water three or four times when his group was at a downtown San Diego club before going to his house. The attorney said none of Merriman's teammates were at his house.

Tequila, whose real name is Tila Nguyen, is best known for "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila," which ran for two seasons on MTV. The bisexual dating show featured men and women vying for Tequila's affections. She has also modeled for Playboy and other men's magazines.

Scott E. Leemon, an attorney for Tequila, said in a statement that neither she nor her representatives would comment publicly.

Merriman didn't return two e-mails seeking comment. His agent, Tom Condon, said he hadn't heard about the arrest when contacted by The Associated Press.

There had been considerable Twitter chatter between Tequila and Merriman during the last two months. She tweeted several times about going to the Chargers' game Friday night and a party she held afterward at a downtown club, including:

_ "Im the Head Cheerleader Prom Queen and (at)shawnemerriman is the Prom King! hahaha! LETS GOOO! LIGHTS OUT! SAN DIEGO I WILL SEE U TOMORROW!"

Merriman was the 12th overall pick out of Maryland in the 2005 draft, and had 39 1/2 sacks in his first three seasons. The three-time Pro Bowl selection has been getting back into shape after missing nearly all of last season following knee surgery.

The Chargers, picked by some as Super Bowl favorites, open the regular season a week from Monday night at Oakland. Players had been off since after Friday night's exhibition finale against San Francisco. They are due back at practice on Monday.

"It's disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman," Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said in statement. "We'll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course."

Smith didn't return a call seeking further comment.

Smith often speaks of signing "character" players, yet the Chargers have had their share of embarrassing off-field problems in recent seasons.

In 2006, there were seven run-ins with the law by San Diego players, including linebacker Steve Foley's shooting by an off-duty police officer who suspected him of drunken driving.

Merriman was suspended four games for testing positive for steroids in 2006, and linebacker Stephen Cooper was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2008 season after testing positive for a banned stimulant.

Smith reportedly has been unhappy with Merriman's extracurricular activities, and there's been speculation the Chargers will let him leave when he's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. Merriman has various business ventures and is enamored with the Los Angeles social scene. While on injured reserve last year he flew back and forth to Los Angeles once a week to appear on a football preview show.

___

Associated Press Writer Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Comments

[Leper]

>>Merriman was trying to keep Tequila from driving drunk.

That is the oddest phrase I've read all year.

[AntiSheep13]

The story also states that "Tequila was drinking."

[Leper]

I feel like I'm reading a William Burroughs novel.

[AntiSheep13]

It sucks that he was probably doing the right thing by not allowing her to drive after she had been drinking. But the laws basically state that he should've called law enforcement instead of physically trying to restrain her. It's a messed up situation that is tough to deal with on a spur of the moment. Assuming that is what he was trying to prevent, i feel that the DA will identify with that and not file charges.

[water57]

I think she sees these as her last best hope before aging out of her 15 minutes of fame. Heck, I would have dance for Merrima, if does not care about wrinkles, cycloid , and false teeth. Whenever he ask me to leave, I would pick up my false teeth and matted wig and left. The only thing I would have said, its all good.

[Poorsarah]

From my perspective, red flags are popping up in this situation.

[AntiSheep13]

You have a keen sense for the obvious.

[olddognewtrick]

I smell a steel barred cage match coming...

[mram50]

Gee, if I was a gazillionaire celebrity someone would give a hoot about me getting arrested, but they don't so I don't.
Once more a case that is important to me as what Joe the plumber does with the goop he picks from between his toes right before taking a shower.
GOSH! Does he wash it down the drain ma?

[MTinMO]

BTW, I don't know who he is, other than what I have just read and heard in the last 24 hours or so since the story broke. I'm not a Charger fan and don't follow the team. As a survivor of domestic assault, I do not dismiss perpetrators regardless of who they are, however I know for a fact that not every person who claims abuse is indeed a victim of abuse. There are two sides to every story and I am prepared to wait to see what the investigation uncovers. I do know that the law requires law enforcement to arrest if there is any evidence of abuse. If they required her to do a citizens arrest, they had no evidence of an assault. If she was drunk, the hospital would have kept her regardless if she had injuries or not until she was capable of conducting herself safely. We will wait and see what the sobered up woman does, because it is unlawful to file a false report.
Additionally, I hate drunk drivers. My family has lost 7 people to drunk drivers and I would tackle and bind someone to keep them off the road if they are intoxicated just so other people don't have to go through what we have gone through. If she was drunk and trying to get behind the wheel I would have no sympathy for her at all if she did get her in the process of trying to keep her from driving.

[MTinMO]

Obviously, the police saw no evidence of an attack on the woman or they would have done the arresting without a "citizens arrest" as they are bound to do by law. The story reports there were witnesses who can attest to the fact that he did not attack her or injure her. I did hear before reading this story that she was drunk and he would not let her leave driving. If that is the case, he was being responsible, as we are always told not to let friends drive drunk. There could have been some potential liability on his part if she did drive and hit someone if she had been drinking at his place, so he did everyone a favor if he kept a drunk driver off the road.

[78Thomas]

Sounds like they are a perfect match for each other.
But I'm still wondering what did she exactly accomplish to become gossip fodder?

[Nancy84]

another 15 minutes maybe

[Caymus77]

Yet another Pro Sports thug whose fans flock to defend him. Let's not forget how Kobe Bryant's fans issued death threats to the woman he raped when she filed charges a few years ago. She was so frightened she refused to cooperate with the DA.

Merriman had no business laying a hand on this woman. Period.

[KCinBK]

you know you're jealousy needs to be kept in check. I understand its hard to come to terms with the fact this man will make more money in 48 minutes on a field then you will for decades to come. Get over it! read the report! Merriman is one of the strongest men in the NFL, it would be reasonable to doubt that he did touch her as she said; considering there were no marks on all 5 feet of her/ TT is a liar, she drank several times on her tv show and even twitters about being wasted.

[Leper]

>>you know you're jealousy needs to be kept in check.

It's not jealousy. Caymus77 is right that the knee-jerk reaction is to believe the male athlete and discredit the female gold-digger. I found myself having that reaction initially. Maybe it is true in this case, but we don't really know Shawne Merriman, who was suspended for using steroids and took off last year.

Your little "jealousy" snipe was juvenile.

[endlessirony]

There is no evidence that he did in fact there is more evidence that she is lying through her teeth. The man is very dumb for getting involved with a woman like her with her history but that's another story.

[Nisha Lightfoot]

Just because you are accused of doing something does not mean you did it, until there is evidence to prove you done it!

[ElPerro]

I'm usually the first one to joyously proclaim any professional athlete guilty as charged. One of my favorite expressions is "The NFL = National Felon League." But in this case, if it comes down to a he said/she said dispute and we can only go by the credibility of those involved, Tila loses big time. She's clearly mentally unbalanced and has no credibility whatsoever.

[mrcontinental]

"There were numerous eyewitnesses that will support his version of the events that transpired at his home."

Money, the great equalizer.

[montecarlo408]

I seriously thought that was a picture of Latoya Jackson.

[Jared15]

I actually have a serious question somewhat unrelated to this case but brought on by the comments to it.

When will equal rights finally mean equal rights? If a man strikes a woman, he is crucified. If a woman strikes a man, then that man is a wuss or "he deserves it". I'm not saying it's ok to hit ANYBODY but we need to take a step back and examine this with objectivity. If anybody, male or female, tries to cause me physical harm, then I am knocking the (expletive deleted) out of them. Nobody should start a fight without expecting to get punched. Say what you want about my manhood or my character or how I was raised but it's a subject that I had wondered about and am not afraid to broach.

[Raybee]

Jared15 you are absolutely right! My father use to say, when a woman hits a man, she is putting herself in a mans posttion.

[Leper]

That is just ridiculous.

It is NOT okay to choke a woman who hits you. Especially if you're a 6'4", 260 lb. linebacker who's tricked out on steroids.

[Jared15]

If she were a 5'6", 100lb man, she would never dream of hitting a "6'4", 260lb linebacker who's tricked out on steroids" because he knew he would get messed up. But, since it's a female, she can do whatever she wants to him and not fear an arse whuppin? If you raise your hand to anyone, expect to get punched or even choked. Women have turned into bullys because it is deemed uncouth to strike back but I am saying right here and now if I get hit, I'm crackin skulls.

[T Specter]

She's in the hospital for Alcoholism.

[Harlyridr]

Like we didn't know that was about to happen...

[AntiSheep13]

Really? What hospital is that? Well you shouldn't have @SSumed that is what happened because it didn't. She has actually recently stated that she has been allergic to alcohol for years and that's how she got her nickname. Just like when you call a real big guy "Tiny". It looks like we are going to have to wait to see who the witnesses are and what they say.

[sportwarrior]

Are you even going to bother updating your article, HuffPost? Merriman was trying to prevent her from leaving before a cab got there to pick her up. She was drunk. She took it the wrong way. Stop misinformi­ng/mislead­ing people with old info.