Cleveland Browns Rookie Ausar Walcott Charged With Attempted Murder

Ausar Walcott, a Cleveland Browns rookie linebacker, has been charged with attempted murder in connection with an incident outside a Passaic, N.J., bar.

Walcott alleged punch another man in the head in the early hours of Sunday morning. The other man, identified as Derrick Jones, was as of yesterday in critical condition in Harlem Hospital Center in New York City. Walcott was arrested yesterday after turning himself in; his bail was set at $500,000.

In addition to the attempted murder count, Walcott also faces charges of second-degree aggravated assault and third degree endangering an injured victim according to the Bergen Record.

The Browns signed Walcott, who played for the University of Virginia but went undrafted, last month as a free agent. A statement from team indicated that the organization was “aware of the situation…” and that “this is a pending legal matter and we will not comment.”

Walcott appeared in 45 games for UVA, compiling 128  tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery according to ESPN. He was aslo involved in a fight while at college in 2011 which cause him to be suspended from the team. Charges were later dropped and he was reinstated. Of that incident, Walcott told the Washington Post, “My gut kind of did tell me to walk away, and I should have. Even though I didn’t do anything, if I would have just walked away, I never would have even been in this situation and everything would have been cleared.”

The Browns have run into difficulties with one other new lineman. Last month, Armonty Bryant was busted for drunk driving in Oklahoma. In 2012 the East Central University product was suspended for three games after twice being arrested for selling marijuana to an undercover agent in a school zone.

Do NFL players get into more trouble that the general population, and if so, why?