Former Fox Sports and ESPN host Marcellus Wiley has been released from Orange County Jail after posting a $1,000 bond, according to a report by Mike Florio in Pro Football Talk. The former NFL defensive end was arrested on Saturday after police responded to an alleged domestic battery incident.
Florio reports, per details obtained from the Arrest Affidavit, that the incident occurred at the World Marriott in Orlando on Saturday afternoon, and the alleged victim was Wiley’s wife. Wiley’s wife asked officers to “remove her husband from their shared hotel room due to her being afraid of him,” saying that Wiley “told [her] he was going to kill her and [she] was afraid of his behavior.”
Asked to elaborate by the officers, Wiley’s wife said “on the previous morning Marcellus had put his hands on her,” by using “one finger to sternly and intentionally poke her in the cheek.”
The affidavit noted Wiley’s wife displayed no “visible injuries” and that she did not request medical attention. However, she did say that Wiley “had an unreported history of violence toward her and she was planning to divorce him when they returned home to California.”
Per Florio, “Wiley denied any physical altercation with his wife,” and claimed she made the report because she intended to divorce him.
Authorities concluded that Wiley “did intentionally touch [his wife] against her will,” and thus there was probable cause to charge Wiley with domestic battery.
Wiley’s arrest comes amid an ongoing sexual assault case involving seven accusers, one of which is a former ESPN production assistant who claims Wiley raped her while they both worked at the network. After Awful Announcing reported on the new claims in May, Wiley responded on his YouTube show and denied the allegations.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.