On Thursday, former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was indicted for first-degree murder in the shooting death of Odin Lloyd.
The allegations against Hernandez are by far the most sensational charges involving an NFL player this offseason. [For the entire back story, read our coverage here.]
But sadly, Hernandez is actually just one of almost three dozen players who have been arrested since the Super Bowl for a range of alleged infractions.
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Below is a graphical breakdown of everything for which players — including those who, like Hernandez, have since been cut from their teams — have been arrested. That breakdown does not tally the same alleged offense from the same incident more than once; Hernandez, for example, was arrested on five gun charges, but those are all counted just once toward the final tally below.
Also important to note: A number of the charges have since been dropped.
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DUI and DWI arrests, including those for the mere suspicion of tipsy driving, were by far the most common. Not too surprising, then, that the league is close to implementing a stricter policy for players charged with driving under the influence.
Five players have been arrested on various gun and weapons charges since the start of February. That includes Tampa Bay defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, who was stopped at LaGuardia Airport in New York in February with a .40 caliber handgun in his suitcase (he was charged with two felonies and pleaded down to a lesser charge) as well as Giants linebacker Dan Connor, who was reportedly caught with a switchblade in his luggage at a Philadelphia airport.
Adam "Pacman" Jones, no stranger to legal troubles, was charged with assault in June after allegedly punching a woman outside a Cincinnati bar. Video later surfaced appearing to show Jones hitting the woman as she approached him with something in her hand. His trial is scheduled for October.
Among the more bizarre cases this offseason, would-be rookie Ausar Walcott was charged with attempted murder when he allegedly sent a man to the hospital in critical condition after punching him in the face. Walcott pleaded not guilty, with his lawyer arguing that Walcott had acted in self defense. The Browns cut him the same day he was charged.
In another strange case, Broncos safety Quinton Carter was arrested in March after a casino accused him of cheating at craps — a felony. Carter was accused of adding $5 to bets after rolling the dice. The charges were later dropped
And then, of course, there's Desmond Bryant, who was arrested in February on unspecified "criminal mischief" charges. A subsequent lawsuit revealed more details, with a family claiming Bryant tried to break into their home in the wee hours of the morning, and even ripped off their door handle in a vain attempt to enter what he mistakenly believed to be his own residence.
Though Bryant did not gain entrance into that house, he did gain entrance into the Hall of Greatest Mugshots Ever with this gem:
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, RawStory, and Business Insider.
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