Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley was arrested in Alabama on Sunday morning on charges of driving under the influence and attempting to elude police.
Alabama state troopers told The Associated Press the 24-year-old passed a state trooper early Sunday morning at 100 mph in his Cadillac Escalade in unincorporated Mobile County. After initially refusing to stop for the trooper's emergency lights and siren, Fairley pulled over and seemed impaired. He was arrested without incident.
WALA-TV in Mobile, Ala. reported Fairley was taken into custody shortly after 1 a.m. and was released on $1,750 bond shortly after 9 a.m. Troopers also said Fairley was ticketed for reckless driving, no proof of insurance and having an open container.
The Lionsreleased a statement addressing the arrest, saying, "We are aware of the reports and are in the process of gathering more information."
For Fairley, this is his second arrest in his native Alabama in the last two months. On April 3, Fairley was arrested by Mobile police for possession of marijuana.
A Mobile native who played his college ball at Auburn University, the 6-foot-3, 291-pound Fairley was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and signed a four-year contract worth $9.889 million, fully guaranteed. A foot injury limited Fairley to just 10 games and 21 percent of the team's defensive snaps last season, with Fairley contributing 15 tackles and a quarterback sack.
Fairley is one of three members of the Lions' 2011 draft class to be arrested since the conclusion of the last season. Former seventh-round offensive lineman Johnny Culbreath was arrested in South Carolina in January and second-round running back Mikel Leshoure was arrested twice for possession of marijuana (February 18, March 12) in a span of a month. Wide receiver Titus Young was not arrested, but was absent from the start of last week's OTAs after sucker-punching teammate Louis Delmas during offseason workouts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
