For the first time since taking over at Pittsburgh after Todd Graham slithered out of the backdoor, Paul Chryst is faced with an off-field issue involving one of his new football players.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, linebacker Carl Fleming was arrested Friday night following an incident outside of an Oakland (PA) convenience store, an incident in which he allegedly tried to get rid of some herbal evidence by... swallowing it. And that came after attempting to play bumper cars with a police car with his own vehicle. Allegedly.
The Tribune-Review has the details, including a police officer performing a Heimlich maneuver that appears to come straight out of an MMA manual:As Fleming exited the store and got into his Ford Taurus, police approached and attempted to stop him for a traffic violation. Fleming pulled away and attempted to hit the marked police car before crashing into a guard rail, according to a criminal complaint.
Fleming then shoved a plastic bag containing marijuana in his mouth and started to swallow, authorities said. Officers pulled Fleming from the car and, after failing to remove the bag, punched him, successfully dislodging the drugs from his mouth, the criminal complaint states.
Despite commands to remain on the ground, Fleming struggled with officers before being handcuffed, authorities said.
As a result of that incident, Fleming was hit with a litany of charges, including two counts of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, fleeing or eluding police, drug possession, tampering with evidence and vehicular offenses. He was also indefinitely suspended by the football program.
Last season, Fleming played in 12 games.