The Miami Dolphins waived running back Mark Walton after he was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with striking a pregnant woman carrying his baby.
Walton was arrested on Tuesday and charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, ESPN reported.
He is accused by police of pushing the woman into a wall and then punching her many times in the face and head.
Walton was booked into the Broward County jail, according to ESPN.
The woman had swelling to her left eye that was observed by a police officer. The woman is five weeks pregnant. The woman told police she let Walton know she was pregnant on Sunday.
The alleged attack happened at 4:15 a.m. Tuesday in Davie after an argument, according to ESPN.
Walton, 22, has a history of legal trouble. He was through two games of his four-game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s conduct and substance abuse policy, ESPN reported.
The football player had been arrested three times from January through March when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals released him and then the Dolphins signed Walton in May, according to ESPN.
“We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously. We will have no further comment at this time,” Dolphins’ general manager Chris Grier said, according to ESPN.
Michael Gottlieb, Walton’s attorney, said he didn’t think his client was guilty of the charges as alleged, according to CNN.
Walton played college football at the University of Miami and was a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft. He is the leading rusher for the Dolphins with 201 yards.
Walton had a $514,011 signing bonus and a base salary of $262,059.