FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael was arrested Tuesday after allegedly hitting his pregnant
wife.
McMichael was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant
woman, a second-degree felony that is punishable by up to 15 years
in prison, Broward County sheriff's officials said. He was in
Broward County Jail without bond Tuesday.
His wife, Cawanna, also was arrested on a domestic battery charge stemming from a fight early Tuesday morning at their home. Officials said she is six months pregnant.
Randy McMichael was released Tuesday evening on $5,000 bond, his wife on a $1,000 bond, officials said. Both appeared in court wearing jail-issued uniforms, and both wept during the brief proceeding.
"We are certainly aware of the seriousness of this matter and
we don't condone the types of actions which have been alleged to
have occurred," Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement.
"However, we will withhold any comment on this specific situation
until the judicial process has run its course."
Randy McMichael's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined comment.
The 6-foot-3, 247-pound McMichael has caught 88 passes for 1,083
yards and six touchdowns in two seasons with the Dolphins.
McMichael, who celebrated his 25th birthday Monday, told
sheriff's investigators he had been out drinking with friends,
according to a probable cause affidavit. After arriving home, he
became ill in a downstairs bathroom when his wife came in and began
yelling at him, according to the report.
He told investigators Cawanna McMichael "hit him across the
head with her hand," and his wife fell to the ground when he
pushed her.
Cawanna McMichael, though, said her husband grabbed her right
arm and hit her several times. She was taken to a hospital for
evaluation, then transported to the jail for booking, officials
said.
It was unknown if either of them has an attorney.