NFL rookie free agent Tony Fein found dead

Tony Fein, former Baltimore Ravens tight end and Army vet, was found dead Tuesday morning.

Fein, recently released from the Ravens in the final round of cuts, was back in his home town of Port Orchard, WA. Fein was “working out” in the hopes of securing another NFL tryout. He was arrested in August for a Baltimore incident with a police officer, but repeatedly stated he was innocent of the charges. Fein was due in court today, and the Baltimore Sun has an account of the incident:

He was with other players at a food stand when a security guard thought she saw someone in his group hand him a gun. The guard notified city police and Sgt. Joseph Donato, who is white, twice asked the black player to stand up and said in a report (read the report here) that the player refused. In the report, the officer said the player turned around and reached for silverware, and that’s when the sergeant grabbed Fein by the sweat shirt, forced him to the ground and handcuffed the 6 foot 2, 245 pound linebacker.

Fein’s agent said the player did not know at first the man behind him was a police officer and denied disobeying his orders.

Fein served three years as a Delta Scout in Iraq. Cause of death is not yet known. Tony Fein was 27.