Former NFL wide receiver Antontio Bryant surrendered to South Florida police early Tuesday morning, shortly after an arrest warrant was issued for a domestic violence incident in April.
Bryant was charged with domestic battery by strangulation, domestic violence and culpable negligence against the mother of his child, Dianne Helne. He posted $15,000 bond hours later.
Helne and Bryant are in the middle of a paternity suit, according to NBC 6.
Sunrise Police say the pair got into a verbal fight April 10 that escalated when Bryant pushed Helne in the face. He then allegedly began hitting her and grabbed her neck as she was holding their young child.
Helne said Bryant then told her to put the baby down, kicked her, and punched her.
When police arrived, Bryant was no longer at the apartment and did not respond to calls to his cell phone.
“Helne did have some swelling to the left side of her mouth as well as a large piece of skin hanging from the [inside] of her mouth. I also observed several scratches on the [victim’s] arm and neck,” a responding officer wrote.
Bryant, 31, is a Miami native and played for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a tumultuous college career at the University of Pittsburgh.
He briefly made the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 and Seattle Seahawks this summer, but was released from both teams shortly after signing.