Ex-NFL Player Dion Lewis Arrested at Tampa’s Seminole Hard Rock Casino

Posted on: September 19, 2023, 12:45h. 

Last updated on: September 19, 2023, 12:57h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Former New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis was charged Monday after he became “unruly and belligerent” at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, according to Florida authorities.

Dion Lewis
Dion Lewis when he was playing for the New England Patriots. Lewis was arrested at a Florida casino on Monday. (Image: Boston Globe)

Lewis was “causing a disturbance and refusing to leave the premises,” before his arrest, according to the Seminole Police Department (SPD).

He was charged with trespassing by SPD officers at about 2 p.m., according to TMZ Sports. The 32-year-old was booked at Hillsborough County Jail at 3:12 p.m. and was released from custody at 11:48 p.m. after posting a $500 cash bond.

Further details on the incident at the casino weren’t released. It appears no one was injured.

Monday’s incident follows an unrelated alleged attack on a security guard at a New York State strip club earlier this year, according to the Albany Times Union.

Helped Patriots Win Super Bowl

Lewis is perhaps best known as being a teammate of quarterback Tom Brady when the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2017.

They won the game against the Atlanta Falcons in overtime by a score of 34 to 28.

In total, Lewis played three seasons for the Patriots. Later, he played for the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants.

Before playing for the Patriots, Lewis played with the Philadelphia Eagles for two seasons. He also played for the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts.

Coaching Ends

Earlier this year, Lewis was named a volunteer assistant running backs coach for the University of Albany football team.

Albany Head Football Coach Greg Gattuso, upon Lewis’s hiring, called him, “a great individual.

“I’ve known him since our time at Pittsburgh together. He’s bringing a wealth of experience from the NFL with him that will really help our team, and our backfield specifically.”

But after an incident in June at a strip club, Lewis was dropped as a coach by the team, according to a July 25 report from the Times Union. Lewis also was banned from the Nite Moves Gentlemen’s Club in Latham, NY after a violent incident there on June 11, the report added.

It’s unclear if Lewis leaving the team was a result of the strip club incident, the report revealed.

A Nite Moves security guard claimed Lewis punched him on the side of the head. The guard was trying to remove Lewis from the strip club during the incident, according to the Colonie, NY Police Department.

“We just decided to part ways,” Gattuso later told the newspaper. “I don’t know how else to say it.”

College Career

Lewis grew up playing football in Albany. After playing in high school, he played football for the University of Pittsburgh between 2009 and 2010.

During his first year, Lewis was named the National Freshman of the Year by the Sporting News and CBSSports.com, and was named the Offensive Freshman of the Year by College Football News. He was also named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.

In the following year, Lewis was named by the Sporting News, as one of five leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy that year. But his season was disappointing and he decided to enter the NFL draft without getting a college diploma.

Lewis was selected as the 149th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Eagles. After 10 seasons, Lewis retired from the NFL in 2021.