A former NFL player for the Cleveland Browns was arrested on suspicion of burglary when a neighbor called the police on him while he was house hunting for his mother-in-law.
Kellen Winslow Jr., 34, played as a tight end for the Cleveland Browns and other teams, yet his impressive resume meant nothing when he was arrested Thursday afternoon in the northern San Diego County.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, a neighbor called police in the afternoon and reported “a black male adult had walked into a neighbor’s residence,” and that person confronted the man because they “did not recognize him as being the resident who lived there,” reported NBC News.
After the woman confronted Winslow, the ex-NFL star drove away and was stopped by deputies at a different location.
Representatives for Winslow have denied all allegations and said Winslow was home shopping for his mother-in-law.
Denise White of EAG Sport Management told NBC News Winslow never went inside, and “the residence in question belongs to friends who attend church with his wife.”
“An over reactive neighbor called police after she saw Kellen walking around a mobile home,” White said in an email to NBC news on Saturday. “The owner said he never went inside the home or took anything, or nor was anything taken, touched or moved.”
Winslow’s attorney, Harvey A. Steinberg, said in a statement to NBC that his client “emphatically denies committing any burglary. He would have no need to burglarize or steal anything from anyone at a trailer park.”
“He looks forward to being vindicated once this matter is fully investigated and adjudicated through the court system,” Steinberg said in a statement.
Winslow spent five hours in a North County jail before posting a $50,000 bail early Friday morning, NBC San Diego reported.
Winslow Jr. was drafted sixth overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2004 NFL Draft. Winslow Jr., who played tight end like his father, played for the Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and New York Jets before his career ended in 2013.