On Jan. 30, just after the conclusion of the NFL’s 2022 Pro Bowl in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Saints star running back Alvin Kamara was arrested and charged with battery resulting in substantial bodily harm due to his involvement in a fight at a casino the night before.
Video evidence from the casino confirms Kamara was the initiator in this beating, hitting club promoter Darnell Greene in the face eight times and continuing to swing after he was on the ground. Kamara’s associates stomped Greene dozens of times as well, knocking him out and fracturing his right orbital before being broken up by security.
Greene’s injuries warranted days of hospital treatment. Police were unable to arrest Kamara until Sunday afternoon, allowing him to participate in the Pro Bowl due to a delay in receiving testimony. Kamara’s court date is scheduled for March 3. According to Las Vegas attorney Joel M. Mann, Kamara’s charge carries a maximum sentence of five years and a $10,000 fine.
While the NFL’s track record shows it’s unlikely that Kamara will face much time for this offense, this potentially puts the New Orleans Saints in a bad situation next season. As quarterback Jameis Winston recovers from his ACL surgery, Kamara is slated to be the focal point on offense and the key to opening up play action for Winston’s deep ball.
Incredibly, this marks the fourth NFL player arrested this season alone due to incidents taking place in Las Vegas. In November, Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was charged with a felony DUI resulting in death after reportedly reaching speeds of 154 miles per hour down a narrow boulevard and colliding with another vehicle. He allegedly blew twice the legal limit hours later after receiving treatment at a local hospital. He faces, all told, a maximum sentence of 50 years, and may well never play another down in the NFL.
Fellow Raiders player, cornerback Nate Hobbs, was also arrested on DUI charges on Jan. 3, just two months after Ruggs’ tragic actions. This arrest came hours after a return to Vegas following a Raiders win over the Indianapolis Colts. That Hobbs and the team’s leadership and culture overall would have allowed a player to drive drunk after a teammate inadvertently killed someone just 61 days before is, in this writer’s opinion, unfathomably callous and selfish.
Topping all these in terms of reckless disregard for law and safety, though, is former Raiders and Chiefs cornerback Damon Arnette, who over the course of the 2021 season, was: sued over an alleged hit-and-run from the year prior; cut from the Raiders following a leaked video featuring death threats while holding guns; and arrested on Jan. 29 for assault with a deadly weapon and two drug possession charges, all taking place in Vegas.
In a November conference call, Raiders’ GM Mike Mayock went on record regretting having drafted Arnette in the first round back in 2020 and admitted there were “character concerns” pre-draft that were overlooked.
He said, “Can a country kid live in a big city, or vice versa?” “We do have to be aware of Vegas. But my thing is this — in just about any mid- to big-sized city in the country, if you want to find trouble, you can find it.”