Detroit Lions linebacker Trevor Bates is facing a felony charge after an arrest for allegedly not paying a cab fare resulted in an assault on a police officer.
When the Detroit Lions signed linebacker Trevor Bates last May it was in large part due to the fact he had previously played under head coach Matt Patricia as a member of the New England Patriots back in 2016. Bates was expected to help transform the Lions’ defense, aiding his teammates in learning Patricia’s complicated, multiple defensive scheme.
Bates would be waived by the Lions before the start of the regular season and added to their practice squad. The 25-year old linebacker was promoted to the active roster in early October.
Bates would end up playing 158 total snaps for Detroit in 2018. 156 of those snaps were on special teams and only two on defense. Bates recorded a total of three tackles for the entire year.
Originally, Bates was selected in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Maine by the Indianapolis Colts. He was released halfway through his rookie season by the Colts spending the bulk of his time on their practice squad. Bates was picked up by the Patriots and ended up winning a Super Bowl ring as a member of their practice squad.
After spending a season on the New York Giants’ practice squad, Bates landed in Motown. Now it appears his NFL career could be over.
According to ESPN.com, Bates was arrested in New York City on Saturday for allegedly not paying a $32 cab fare. While being booked, the 6-foot-2, 247-pound linebacker reportedly became very upset, refused to be fingerprinted and punched an unnamed police Sargent, giving the officer a concussion and needing three stitches above his left eye.
The police used a stun gun on Bates to restrain him and he was sent to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Along with his initial arrest for alleged theft of service, Bates is now facing a felony charge of assaulting a police officer, along with charges of obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.
Although the Detroit Lions are still investigating the situation, it seems very likely that Trevor Bates has played his last game for the Motor City … and possibly in the NFL.