BEREA, Ohio -- The fiancee of Cleveland Browns running
back William Green was arrested Wednesday night for felonious
assault and domestic violence.
Green sustained a puncture wound under his left shoulder blade
during a fight at his suburban Westlake home, police said. Authorities believe Green was stabbed in the back by Asia Gray.
Gray had earlier in the day made an emergency call to
police saying Green had cut himself.
Gray, 22, who has had two children with Green, is being held in
city jail pending an arraignment in Rocky River Municipal Court. No
bond has been set.
Green, currently under suspension for violating the NFL's
substance-abuse program, told police earlier in the day that he was
injured when he fell down stairs.
Green's wound, below his left shoulder blade, did not require
stitches. There was a possibility the 23-year-old player would be
released later Wednesday, team president Carmen Policy said.
Police responded to a 911 call from Green's home Wednesday
morning from an upset Gray, requesting an ambulance for the
second-year back.
An emergency vehicle was sent, but Green was not there when it
arrived. Police Capt. Guy Turner believes Gray drove Green to St.
John-Westshore Hospital accompanied by the couple's 10-week-old
baby girl. Green was treated there before being transferred to
MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland -- about 10 miles away.
The player's sports utility vehicle was impounded, and police
sealed his home before acquiring warrants and searching his
residence and vehicle.
Turner said Green's home was sealed immediately after police had
determined there was no one else hurt.
Green told police he was hurt accidentally.
"He said it (the wound) was received when he fell going up a flight of
stairs, carrying some items, including a knife," a police release
said.
Green was suspended for four games last week by the NFL for
violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He was arrested Oct.
27 on charges of drunken driving and marijuana possession. The
Browns suspended him for the Nov. 9 game at Kansas City for
"conduct detrimental to the team," and the league will count that
game as part of its suspension.
Under terms of his league suspension, Green is not permitted to
be at the team's training facility and the Browns are not allowed
to have contact with him.
Policy said the Browns are hoping the league will make an
exception and permit the club to help Green deal with his problems
and aid his recovery. Browns owner Randy Lerner visited Green in
the hospital, but league spokesman Steve Alic said the team did not
violate league rules by seeing their player.
Green pleaded innocent to the DUI and possession charges and his
driving license was suspended. He has a pretrial hearing set for
Dec. 3. He is eligible to play Dec. 8 against St. Louis.
Green has had a troubled life. He was 12 when his father, a
former heroin addict, died of AIDS. A year later, his mother died
after contracting the disease from her husband.
While he was at Boston College, Green twice was suspended for
marijuana use. His off-field infractions may have resulted in him
sliding to the No. 16 overall pick in the 2002 draft despite being
the top-rated back in that year's class.
Following a slow start last season, Green rushed for 887 yards
and six touchdowns. He gained 726 yards in the final seven games,
leading the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 1994.
Before his suspension, Green rushed for 559 yards and one
touchdown this season, but he missed Cleveland's game at New
England with a separated right shoulder.
The next day, Green was arrested just a few hours after leaving
the team's training facility. He failed a field sobriety test and a
breath test, which showed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.165
percent -- more than twice Ohio's legal limit, police said.
The Browns were aware of Green's past drug infractions when they
drafted him. Last year, the club signed him to a five-year contract
worth $12 million if he reaches incentives.
"I like him a great deal," Policy said. "I don't know how
well I know him. I empathize with him, but I'm not sure I fully
understand his pain. All I can do is what everybody in the building
is doing, and that's trying to stand behind him."