Police: Britt arrested on three charges
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt was arrested on three charges Tuesday afternoon after a car chase in his hometown of Bayonne, N.J., FOXSports.com has learned.
A Bayonne police spokesman told FOXSports.com that Britt was charged with eluding a police officer, lying to an officer/hindering apprehension and obstructing governmental function. Eluding an officer is a third-degree felony; the other two charges are misdemeanors.
A passenger in the vehicle with Britt also faces three criminal charges. Twenty-three-year-old Jerel Lord of Bayonne was charged with marijuana possession, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental function.
Britt is the 10th player arrested since the NFL locked out its players on March 11. The Titans' inability to run an offseason workout program may explain why Britt was back in his hometown.
According to a police report, the incident occurred at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when Britt was clocked driving his blue Porsche at 71 mph in a 50-mph zone. When an officer attempted to enter the roadway to stop the vehicle, the Porsche accelerated and began weaving in and out of highway traffic. The Porsche then exited the highway and was spotted on a local street with Britt and Lord walking away from the vehicle.
The officer ordered them to stop and began questioning Britt and Lord, both of whom denied being in the vehicle. At one point during the interview, Lord ran away on foot, but he was apprehended a block away by a pursuing officer.
Britt, who was recognized as a Titans player, admitted that the Porsche was his after being asked by the officer about the Tennessee plates on the vehicle. Britt, however, claimed he wasn't the driver.
Britt and Lord were both released on summons. They are expected to have a future hearing at Hudson County (N.J.) Superior Court.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said that he will enforce any violation of the league's personal conduct policy during the lockout once the work stoppage ends.
The NFL, though, is prohibited from conducting drug testing during the lockout. Britt was not tested for possible drug use at the scene of the arrest, the police spokesman said.
Britt has had run-ins with the law three times in the past 16 months, which could make him susceptible to NFL suspension once the lockout ends. He was arrested in January 2010 after failing to pay $865 for three outstanding traffic warrants. Britt was scheduled for a February 22 hearing in Bayonne on a misdemeanor charge of theft by deception after being accused by two bail bond companies of not paying the bail money he had promised on behalf of a friend.
Britt also was questioned as part of an assault claim from a bar fight in October in Nashville. Before being exonerated by a grand jury, Britt was benched for one quarter of a game as punishment by then-head coach Jeff Fisher.
Considered one of the NFL's most promising young receivers, the 22-year-old Britt is coming off his second consecutive season with 40-plus catches and 700-plus receiving yards. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Britt also caught nine touchdowns in 2010 despite starting only seven games because of injury.
Britt was the 30th overall selection out of Rutgers in the 2009 draft.
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