Fred Smoot Arrested: Domestic Violence Charge For Another NFL Star — Smoot Played 9 Seasons
Fred Smoot was arrested Sunday morning at his Ashburn, Virginia, home, making the nine-year NFL veteran the latest current or former pro football player to face domestic violence allegations. Smoot was hit with a misdemeanor domestic violence charge then released on $2,500 bond from Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Virginia.
Smoot played nine seasons as a defensive back in the NFL after being drafted out of Mississippi State University in 2001 by the Washington Redskins in the second round. After four seasons with Washington, Smoot took a free agent contract offer from the Minnesota Vikings, staying in Minnesota for two more seasons before the Jackson, Mississippi, native finished has career back in Washington in 2009.
Fred Smoot mugshot. Charged with misdemeanor domestic assault. GF called police in Loudoun County Sun a.m. #Redskins pic.twitter.com/66YkPcXuOO
— Chuck Carroll (@TheChuckCarroll) November 25, 2014
Though Smoot has been retired from the NFL for five years, he has maintained a new career in broadcasting as a football commentator for several media outlets. But he may have trouble continuing that line of work after he was arrested.
“Fred has been a contributor to the station and there are no plans for him to appear in the future,” said Chris Kinard, program director of WJFK-FM, a radio station that aired commentary by Smoot.
He also worked on television for the Washington D.C. Comcast Sports Net cable outlet, but Comcast said that Smoot has been indefinitely suspended from appearing on its broadcasts.
Police were called to Smoot’s home at 11 a.m. on Sunday, responding to a domestic violence complaint from the 35-year-old Smoot’s girfriend.
According to a police report, Smoot’s girlfriend alleged that when she tried to take the keys to Smoot’s truck in order to drive herself to work, Smoot became enraged and shoved her against a wall.
Smoot also scratched her hand and stomach, then when she attempted to flee to a neighbor’s house, she said, Smoot grabbed her by her shorts, ripping them. When she found no one home at her neighbor’s house, she snuck back into the home she shared with Smoot, hid in a closet and called police, waiting in the closet until they arrived.
She later discovered boxes of Magnum brand condoms as well as numerous generic Viagra pills in the truck, and told police she believes Smoot feared she would find them in the truck. As a result, he became violent when she tried to take Smoot’s truck to work, she alleged.
While a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Smoot was accused of being the ringleader of what came to be known as “The Love Boat Scandal,” in which 17 members of the team, a few weeks into the 2005 season, rented a private yacht and hired prostitutes from other areas of the country to fly in and take part in a sex orgy with the players on the boat, in full view of other players and the yacht’s professional crew. Some of the sex acts performed on board by Vikings players and prostitutes were allegedly photographed.
Fred Smoot was not arrested in connection with the incident and has not commented publicly on the sex scandal.
