A superstar NFL wide receiver was arrested for “criminal speeding” in Arizona Wednesday.
Arizona Cardinals receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was arrested for driving 126 miles per hour down State Route 101 Wednesday morning, nearly double the posted speed limit on the highway. He was booked into the Maricopa County jail and released on his own recognizance later in the day, after a brief hearing in the Maricopa County Superior Court. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter first reported the story.
“Cardinals’ WR Marquise Brown was arrested and charged with criminal speeding on Wednesday morning,” Schefter wrote on Twitter. “Arizona Department of Safety spokesman Bart Graves confirmed Brown was arrested at 7:05 a.m. in north Phoenix and booked in the Maricopa County Jail, per the AP.”
According to local news outlet KPHO, an Arizona state trooper was on Route 101 Wednesday morning at around 7 a.m. when he saw that a “white passenger vehicle was passing all traffic.” The trooper reported that the car was traveling at 126 MPH, almost double the posted speed limit of 65 MPH. The trooper eventually caught up to the vehicle and pulled it over. Brown was then arrested and booked.
According to the Arizona-based Heath Law Firm, “criminal speeding” is defined as:
- Driving over 35mph in a school zone;
- Driving over 20mph above the posted speed limit; and
- Driving over 85mph on highways and freeways.
Criminal speeding is a class 3 misdemeanor, the firm notes; the maximum penalty is 30 days in jail, a $500 fine with an 83% surcharge, and up to a year of probation. The minimum penalty is either court-ordered defensive driving school, or a terminal disposition, meaning that a person was convicted of the offense, but no penalties were given. The most common penalty is a fine and a conviction, which is permanently on the person’s criminal record under Arizona law. Arrests can happen, but are rare, the firm notes.
The Cardinals issued a brief statement in reaction to the news of Brown’s arrest. “We are aware of the situation regarding Hollywood Brown and have reported it to the NFL office as required,” the Cardinals said in the statement on Wednesday. “We will comment further as appropriate.”
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury reacted to the news at a press conference after Thursday’s practice. “[I’m] just glad he’s safe,” Kingsbury said. “We’re still working through the details of it all, but glad to have him back.”
Kingsbury said that Brown was headed to the Cardinals’ stadium for practice when he was pulled over.
“He’s never had any issues [before], obviously he knows he’s got to be better than that, and he will be moving forward,” Kingsbury added. “[It was an] unfortunate incident, can’t be doing that, and we want to get him back, get him back involved.”
Kingsbury said he still planned to return Brown to practice on Monday as part of his recovery from an injury he sustained while training on his own in July.
Brown was drafted out of the University of Oklahoma 25th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. He spent three seasons with the Ravens, catching 195 passes for 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, reuniting with his former teammate at Oklahoma, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Brown is the cousin of former Steelers, Patriots, and Buccaneers wideout Antonio Brown.