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20 Most Memorable Arrests of Phoenix Athletes

Local law-enforcement agencies have had plenty of run-ins with Phoenix's professional athletes over the years. Below, check out our picks for the 20 most memorable arrests of Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Coyotes, and Phoenix Suns athletes:...
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Local law-enforcement agencies have had plenty of run-ins with Phoenix's professional athletes over the years.

Below, check out our picks for the 20 most memorable arrests of Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Coyotes, and Phoenix Suns athletes:

20.) Stephon Marbury

Marbury, who had recently been acquired by the Suns for Jason Kidd (featured later on this list) was arrested for extreme DUI back in 2002.

19.) Cliff Robinson

Almost exactly one year before Marbury's arrest, Suns forward Cliff Robinson was arrested on DUI and marijuana-possession charges.

18.) Richard Dumas

Dumas, a former Suns star, ended up having to work for a living after blowing his NBA money, but police say he was stealing from work, at a Luke Air Force Base exchange.

17.) Rex Chapman

You probably forgot all about former Suns player Rex Chapman until he was arrested last month on allegations that he shoplifted more than $14,000 worth of products from an Apple store.

16.) Alberto Callaspo

In 2007, in Callaspo's second year in the Big Leagues with the Diamondbacks, he was arrested on allegations that he kicked his wife. He was traded after the season ended.

15.) Archie Goodwin

Suns backup guard Archie Goodwin just finished his first NBA season last year, and during this off-season, managed to get arrested in some sort of fight outside a roller rink in Arkansas.

14.) Mario Bates

Before domestic violence was a big focus in the NFL, Cardinals backup running back/kick returner Mario Bates was arrested in consecutive years (2000 and 2001) for domestic violence, and was suspended for a grand total of two games.

13.) Bobby Chouinard

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Bobby Chouinard was arrested after allegedly pointing a gun at his wife's head. That was the last of two seasons Chouinard had in Arizona.

12.) David Boston

Boston, a wide receiver for the Cardinals, was arrested in 2002 for driving under the influence of cocaine and marijuana. Boston has been arrested on two other occasions since leaving the Cardinals, once for DUI, and another for allegedly punching a woman.

11.) Michael Beasley

Beasley was a disappointment for the Suns, on and off the court. Beasley was arrested in Scottsdale in 2013 on a charge of marijuana possession, which isn't that spectacular, but Beasley has a long history of being caught with pot.

10.) Michael Pittman

Pittman, once the Cardinals' starting running back, was arrested twice in one month for domestic violence, but only was suspended for one game during the 2001 season.

9.) Mike DiFelice

DiFelice, a former catcher with the Diamondbacks, was arrested in 2001 "on charges he punched a female patron in the face, attacked another woman with a lighter and slugged a male parking valet." He'd lasted just 12 games with the Diamondbacks.

8.) Brad May

The only former member of the Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes on this list, May was arrested in 2005 after punching a sheriff's deputy in the face in Scottsdale.

7.) Jonathan Dwyer

At a time when domestic violence was the biggest story in the NFL, the Cardinals' backup running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested on domestic-violence charges for allegedly punching and head-butting his wife, and was released by the team.

6.) Daryl Washington

Last year, Washington was arrested on allegations that he choked his child's mother, and broke her collarbone by shoving her. Washington's already suspended for this entire season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

5.) Jason Richardson

Former Suns forward Jason Richardson was not a very good driver. Fresh off a DUI arrest, in late 2008, Richardson was pulled over going 90 mph in a 35 mph zone. Richardson's 3-year-old son was in the backseat at the time, although not in a car seat.

4.) Jason Kidd

During the New Jersey Nets' playoff run of 2001, fans of opposing teams chanted "wife-beater" at Kidd, in reference to his arrest at the beginning of the year in Arizona, when Kidd was still with the Suns.

3.) Tom Chambers

Chambers is long retired from the NBA, but last year he was busted for DUI, reportedly saying during the DUI tests, "I can't even do the nose thingy-muh-bobber sober."

2.) Mark Grace

Grace was retired from baseball when he racked up two DUIs in Scottsdale, landing him a four-month jail sentence.

1.) Charles Barkley

Like other local sports legends' arrests, Barkley's was a bit embarrassing. Highlights of the DUI arrest report include the following:

He asked me, 'You want the truth?' When I told him I did he said, 'I was gonna drive around the corner and get a b**w job. He then explained that she had given him a 'b**w job' one week earlier and said it was the best one he had ever had in his life."

The report says when Barkley was taken to the station, he told one of the employees, "I'll tattoo my name on your ass" if he helped "get him out of the DUI."

Honorable Mentions:

  • John Abraham's DUI arrest.
  • Is cheerleading a sport? Cardinals cheerleader Megan Welter was arrested on allegations that she assaulted her boyfriend.
  • PJ Tucker's "super extreme" DUI arrest.
  • Nikolai Khabibulin was long gone from the Coyotes, and was a member of the Edmonton Oilers when he was arrested for DUI in Scottsdale.
  • Long before the Diamondbacks even existed, new general manager Dave Stewart had an interesting run-in with the LAPD.
  • While Penny Hardaway was on the Suns, he was accused of, but not arrested for, using a gun in a domestic-violence incident.
  • Back in 1987, eight then-current or former Suns players were caught up in a drug scandal, which led to the indictment of three players.

Follow Valley Fever on Twitter at @ValleyFeverPHX.

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