Former Atlanta Falcons RB Jamal Anderson arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence

Former Atlanta Falcons running back Jamal Anderson was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of felony domestic violence, according to NBC4 in Los Angeles. The alleged incident took place at a home in Los Angeles.

Police told NBC4 that officers responded to a home at approx. 11 a.m. local time. They said Anderson was allegedly involved in a verbal argument, which ended up escalating to a physical altercation.

During the incident, Anderson allegedly strangled the victim, according NBC 4. The victim declined treatment from paramedics. Anderson was later arrested and released on a $50,000 bond, according to NBC4.

Anderson played for the Falcons from 1994-2001 after playing college football at Utah. He was a First Team All-Pro selection in 1998, which was the same year he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance as he put up monster numbers. He ran for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns as Atlanta went 14-2 and made a Super Bowl XXXIII appearance.

On the whole, Anderson totaled 5,336 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns over the course of his career. He also became known for his “Dirty Bird” touchdown celebration during his time with the Falcons.

“There was a guy at the top, screaming down, ‘That’s them Dirty Birds! That’s them Dirty Birds,” Anderson told Rolling Stone in 2017 of how the dance got its name. “We get back Monday for watching film and everybody was like, ‘Yo, did you hear that guy?!’ It was the first time we had really heard it. We took to it. It was an attitude and in the way he was saying it was like, ‘Yeah, that’s how you play.”

Following his retirement in 2001, Jamal Anderson worked as an analyst for ESPN and ABC, largely covering the Mountain West Conference. He also worked as an analyst for CNN Newsroom in 2010.

In 2009, Anderson was arrested on suspicion of cocaine possession after an incident at the Peachtree Tavern nightclub in Atlanta. Then, in 2012, he was arrested for DUI in Georgia’s DeKalb Country, and was later banned from a QuikTrip in Suwanee, Georgia in December 2016 after he allegedly exposed himself and appeared intoxicated. He was not arrested for that incident, though.

In December 2018, Anderson was arrested after he refused to pay his limo driver $50, and was later released on bail. He was allegedly intoxicated, and the limo driver did not press charges in the incident.