According to Fox Sports 650’s Andy Slater, New York Jets 2004 first-round pick Jonathan Vilma was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in Miami, Florida.
Slater added that Vilma was arrested for driving with a suspended license, and the traffic stop was initially executed because the former linebacker was driving with expired tags.
After an impressive college career with the Miami Hurricanes, the Jets selected Vilma with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft. Vilma was named the 2004 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
He ultimately then spent four seasons in New York (2004-07), including a Pro Bowl year in 2005 after leading the league with 173 combined tackles.
Vilma was shipped to the New Orleans Saints ahead of the 2008 season, in exchange for a fourth-round draft selection. He spent six seasons with the Saints, appearing in 70 games for the team, posting 439 total tackles (26 for loss), including two more Pro Bowl selections, while helping lead New Orleans to a Super Bowl win in 2010.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Vilma joined Fox as an analyst. He just finished his fifth season calling games in the booth alongside Kenny Albert.
This week’s incident wasn’t Vilma’s first brush with Miami law enforcement. Back in 2009, while still an active NFL player, Vilma was arrested on a felony charge of resisting arrest with violence, along with misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and obstruction of justice, according to ESPN.
Those charges were ultimately dismissed after Vilma agreed to contribute $1,000 to a local hospital trauma center as part of the resolution.
