Chris Rainey arrested in Gainesville for battery

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Chris Rainey was arrested Thursday morning and charged with one count of simple battery (dating violence), the Gainesville Police Department confirmed.

The police received a call at 8:26 am ET about a verbal altercation between Rainey and his girlfriend that turned physical. Rainey also went to school in Gainesville at the University of Florida.

"Witnesses told officers that Rainey and the victim got into an argument over Rainey’s cellphone. The female victim entered the vehicle of Rainey’s roommate, and Rainey confronted her on the passenger side of the vehicle, and began pulling her out of the vehicle," the statement read. "Witnesses then observed Rainey slap the victim across the face with an open hand.

"Both Rainey and the female victim then fell to the ground. The victim was able to run away, but Rainey chased after her because his cellphone was in a bag the victim was carrying. Rainey grabbed the bag again, and they both fell to the ground again. Neither party suffered visible injuries from the encounter. Multiple witnesses confirmed the incident."

Rainey denied hitting the victim at the scene of the crime. He remains in custody.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000124526/article/pittsburgh-steelers-chris-rainey-arrested-in-gainesville

damn if girlfriend can knock him to the ground. we need to cut him

Let the fucking drama begin

If someone stole my phone I'd knock em down too. FIRE RAINEY

Just lock the damn door to the car.

But what the hell. I'm sure this was about him talking to some other woman instead of his g/f. She got pissed off, wanted to see his text, he refused, she jumped in the other side of the car, took his stuff, blah - blah - blah.

so ghetto

Quote :

Pittsburgh Steelers ‏@steelers

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert “Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

What The Freak now????

The offseason just began and let's see........Haley may be a goner, Khan may be a goner, two draft picks are in trouble with the law, there is salary cap hell with which to contend, Miller most likely won't be able to start the beginning of he 2013 season, more than likely going to lose Wallace and maybe even Lewis, hmmm.........any more good news regarding the Steelers?

Wait.......what about the dude that went on a drunken spree almost killing a few Pitt cops in the process?

I'm not at ALL condoning what Rainey did........but why so swift with Rainey and not T'....whatever his name is?

If I am not mistaking Rainey had some trouble before he came to Pittsburgh but not sure what the difference is.

the difference is the results they had...Rainey never lived up to his potential, and IMO, T'amu was kept because of depth on the roster.

Galax Steeler wrote:

If I am not mistaking Rainey had some trouble before he came to Pittsburgh but not sure what the difference is.

i think it was the same charge but with a different GF

I just don't understand. Maybe it's because I'm older than these youngsters, but to be given a chance to play in the NFL, and with a world class organization such as Pittsburgh, why do they piss it away????

I, for one, liked Rainey but I'm super glad that the Steelers took this action.

Quote :

If I am not mistaking Rainey had some trouble before he came to Pittsburgh but not sure what the difference is.

Yes, I believe I read that he had been accused of stalking or something of that nature. But the T'...dude also had a prior DUI. I don't get it

Quote :

the difference is the results they had...Rainey never lived up to his potential, and IMO, T'amu was kept because of depth on the roster.

Well if that is the case, I've lost respect for the organization. No wonder the players have been "inconsistent".

stlrtruck wrote:

the difference is the results they had...Rainey never lived up to his potential, and IMO, T'amu was kept because of depth on the roster.

I don't think he had a chance to live up to his potential and in his short time in Pittsburgh he was near the top in kick off return yards. I still think he had the potential to be something special for the Steelers.

I don't think we can look at the situation and question whether it was fair compared to the way they handled Ta'amu's situation.

Without knowing all the details, my initial suspicion is one of two things:

1. Based either on his prior trouble or an unreported incident while a part of the team, Rainey was told that any future trouble would result in his firing. He got in trouble, and now he's gone.

2. His timing couldn't have been worse. The Steelers aren't the kind of organization that tolerates two rookies getting arrested. If Rainey's situation happened before Ta'amu's, perhaps the response would have been different.

Regardless, just as we saw with Ben and Santonio, it's not always about treating players equally. The standard isn't always the standard.

Here is a good article by Kovacevic:

I think he makes some valid points. The team is undisciplined -- this isn't "the standard".
Also points out the Bengals have had 38 arrests, the Steelers 19. Very un-Steeler like if you ask me.

http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/3267533-74/steelers-rooney-discipline#axzz2HMD7on2W

The Steelers absolutely did the right thing by swiftly dumping rookie running back Chris Rainey upon learning Thursday he was arrested in Gainesville, Fla., and charged with striking a woman police identified as his girlfriend during an argument.

The statement issued by Kevin Colbert spelled it out just right: “Chris Rainey‘s actions this morning were extremely disappointing. Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Exactly. See ya.

Hooray for all involved in the decision.

But sorry, that‘s as far as I‘ll go. I‘m not about to stand, applaud or blow the vuvuzela for an organization that only the previous day denied — right from the top — that it‘s got broader issues with discipline.

Happen to catch that?

When Art Rooney II was asked Wednesday by the Trib‘s Alan Robinson about the perception of a lack of discipline with the Steelers and whether he had discussed that with Mike Tomlin, Rooney replied: “I didn‘t feel that way. I didn‘t look at the problem this year as being a lack of discipline.”

He then went on to talk about the Steelers‘ poor turnover ratio before coming back to the topic: “I really didn‘t see it as a team that lacked discipline. We‘re looking at everything.”

Really?


Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/3267533-74/steelers-rooney-discipline#ixzz2Hel6v16V

After Steelers rookie halfback Chris Rainey was arrested and charged with a single count of misdemeanor simple battery after an altercation with his girlfriend Thursday morning in Gainesville, Fla., it only took the Steelers about seven hours to announce they had cut him.

"Chris Rainey's actions this morning were extremely disappointing," general manager Kevin Colbert said in a release. "Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers."

Those circumstances included the fact that when the Steelers drafted him in April in the fifth round of the NFL draft, they looked long and hard at a 2010 stalking charge against him involving a previous girlfriend when he was at the University of Florida.

Rainey, 24, of McCandless, also has had other recent troubles, including a citation for driving with a suspended license in September in Whitaker that was later dismissed for unknown reasons. A month ago, he was cited for defiant trespass after trying to enter the Meadows Racetrack & Casino outside Washington, Pa., from which he had banned himself, according to Magisterial District Judge Jay Weller's office. Notice of a $300 fine recently had been mailed to Rainey.

Rainey, who made $435,000 in his first year in the NFL, previously had signed himself onto a statewide "self-exclusion" list that banned him from all the state's casinos.

While different people have different reasons for putting themselves on the list, Richard McGarvey, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said: "Certainly what you expect to hear from people is that they recognize that they have a problem with gambling and [being on the list] is a way to stay out of casinos because they know if they don't, they'll be arrested."

Though the gaming board oversees the list, McGarvey said he could not comment on Rainey's situation specifically.

Rainey was charged in 2010 with felony stalking for sending a threatening text to his then-girlfriend that said, "Time to die."

That charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor, and he was ordered to perform community service and attend anger-management classes, which he completed.

The incident occurred a day after Florida's coach at the time, Urban Meyer, said Rainey had sustained a concussion in a game the previous weekend, and even Rainey's girlfriend then believed the head injury had changed his personality, texting him at one point during their altercation: "U have a concussion chris. Ur acting ridiculous."

Meyer initially dismissed Rainey from the Florida Gators, but reinstated him a month later.

After the draft, Colbert said of the incident: "Everybody knows about the texting situation."

"But we had some unique background on this kid because of his relationship with the Pouncey family. For them to take the kid in and provide him a home in high school said a lot to us," he said.

That referred to Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, his twin brother, Mike, now a center for the Miami Dolphins, and their family, which allowed Rainey, son of a single mother, to live with them during high school.

An email to Maurkice Pouncey's representative was not answered Thursday.

After the draft, Rainey said all the right things about the 2010 incident.

"I became a man, matured, learned a lesson not to do that ever again," he said. "Stuff happens for a reason."

But police in Gainesville said they got a 911 call at 8:26 a.m. Thursday reporting that an argument between a man and a woman had turned physical.

Witnesses told the officers that the two argued over a cellphone and that the woman entered a vehicle belonging to Rainey's roommate. Rainey confronted her, began pulling her out of the vehicle and then slapped her with an open hand, police said.

She ran away, and Rainey chased her because, police said, his cellphone was in a bag the woman was carrying. Rainey grabbed the bag, and they both fell down.

Neither Rainey nor his girlfriend suffered visible injuries, police said.

Police spokesman Ben Tobias said Rainey and the woman said they had been dating for nine months.

Because of the time it took for Rainey to be processed Thursday morning, Tobias said Rainey was not able to see a judge to see if he would need to pay a bond to be released.

That meant Rainey was still in jail when the Steelers announced he had been cut, and he had to stay overnight in the Alachua County Jail before seeing a judge at 9 a.m. today.

Huntley Johnson, a Gainesville attorney who represented Rainey in the 2010 incident, said Thursday he was representing Rainey but could not comment about the new case.

Rainey played in all 16 games for the Steelers as a rookie and led them with 1,035 yards on 39 kickoff returns. He had 102 yards rushing on 26 carries with two touchdowns, and 14 receptions for 60 yards.

Hours before the Steelers announced Rainey had been cut, one Steelers fan posted a comment on Rainey's Facebook page predicting what happened: "What were you thinking? The Rooneys don't mess around with that kind of behavior ... Well thanks for the year you gave us, and good luck!"

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-cut-rainey-after-fla-incident-669986/#ixzz2HesiDiC8

Since when are football players "saints".

Rainey was arrested but not convicted. I believe the Steelers should place a player on "Suspension" until he's either been convicted or charges dropped. That goes for any player (read as Big Ben).

While I don't condone hitting a woman, compare a misdemeanor battery to vehicular drunk manslaughter and it may put a few things in perspective.
Yet the Steelers go out and hire convicted prison-bird Buress. but they'll let santonio Holmes go for smoking a joint.

Rooney is wacko, man, just wacko!

Gotassman wrote:

Since when are football players "saints".

Rainey was arrested but not convicted. I believe the Steelers should place a player on "Suspension" until he's either been convicted or charges dropped. That goes for any player (read as Big Ben).

While I don't condone hitting a woman, compare a misdemeanor battery to vehicular drunk manslaughter and it may put a few things in perspective.
Yet the Steelers go out and hire convicted prison-bird Buress. but they'll let santonio Holmes go for smoking a joint.

Rooney is wacko, man, just wacko!

I think the circumstances of each were taken into consideration. Rainey had a previous history. Burress was just plain stupid. Most people go to prison for shooting someone else. He went because he shot himself. Ben? Well the point is taken but a. he wasn't convicted of anything and b. he IS the franchise player.

One thing I think this highlights is another example of how far our drafting expertise has fallen. What was once viewed as an outstanding draft class sure isn't anymore.

There is no doubt that there is a double standard here. I found this little item... and if this is true, the Steelers did Chris horribly wrong:

http://deadspin.com/5975233/eyewitness-former-steeler-chris-rainey-didnt-slap-his-girlfriend

Eyewitness: Former Steeler Chris Rainey Didn’t Slap His Girlfriend


Dom Cosentino


We told you yesterday about Chris Rainey's arrest for allegedly slapping his girlfriend in Gainesville, Fla., which led to Rainey getting cut by the Steelers by the afternoon. Late last night, we received an email from a woman who says she saw what went down, and that her version of events doesn't match the account police say they got from other witnesses. The woman, who identified herself as Heather M., has verified for us that she lives on the same block as Rainey. A Gainesville PD spokesperson has also confirmed that police responded to a 911 call for the incident involving Rainey on that same block.

As the email shows, Heather had initially contacted Jamison Hensley, ESPN's AFC North blogger, and that Hensley recommended she send it to us. We decided it was best to go ahead and run the email in full. Thanks, Jamison! We can take it from here!


From: Heather M.
To: Dom Cosentino

Mr. Cosentino,

I wrote this email to the ESPN writer who wrote the article about the arrest. I was told that you would be a good person to contact about it, and that you would be more likely to act on it.

Thanks for your time,
Heather

————— Forwarded message —————

Mr. Hensley,

I am writing you in regard to your article about the Steeler's dismissal of Chris Rainey after his arrest this morning. Chris is actually my next door neighbor and I happened to see the whole ordeal transpire from my apartment as I was getting ready for class this morning. What the police report/your article describes as Chris "pull[ing] the woman out of a vehicle...and then slapp[ing] her in the face with an open hand" was actually him pulling on a backpack that she was also holding and she took a few steps outside the open car door that she was sitting sideways in (because he obviously pulled harder than she did). The only thing that I can imagine witnesses claiming to be a slap to the face was when he tried to snatch the bag and she put her hand in the way and his hand made a slapping noise against hers.

By the time I left for class, there were police officers taking statements, but the girl with whom he was arguing was telling the police officers the truth about what happened, so I did not feel it was necessary to make a statement. It seemed like they were just going through a formality because 911 was called. As a result of reading your article, I contacted GPD and asked to file a report on what actually happened. I was treated like a criminal, despite being a straight A student and never having even a little trouble with the law. I was accused of lying and told that, although they can't tell me who reported what, there was at least one witness who said they saw him slap her in the face.

I think that it is also worth noting that the person who called 911 was a neighbor who openly dislikes Chris and his roommate and wanders the neighborhood asking if she can have our passwords for our internet instead of buying her own.

Thank you,
Heather M


You know, I have to add something here. About 10 years ago, my now ex and I got into a huge fight -- probably the biggest one of our marriage (and honestly we only had three). We were outside and he got so mad at me he punched the downspout of the gutter and broke it. Long story short, we made up and since we were going to leave for NY the next day, he took our dog to the kennel for boarding. About 15 minutes after he left, the sheriff showed up at my house. They wanted to talk to him. (my nosy neighbor called the police). I was incredulous. I was like -- nothing happening here. They were adament to the point of being rude that they wanted to see him. I told them what happened, said "look do you see bruises or anything"?. My husband pulls in the driveway and they talk to him. The point is they didn't even believe me when I told them what happened and that my husband never had, nor would he ever come close to laying a hand on me. I know they were just doing their job (I could have killed my neighbor though), but maybe Chris really didn't do anything. Did the Steelers even give him a chance to explain?

Yesterday we reported on the arrest of Steelers running back Chris Rainey who allegedly smacked his girlfriend because she confiscated his cell phone.

Later in the day he was subsequently released by team despite showing promise this past season.

Deadspin is now reporting that an eye-witness to yesterdays events, and Rainey’s next door neighbor has a different account of what took place.

The witness who identified herself as Heather M., wrote a letter to an AFC North blogger who works for ESPN. The blogger suggested Heather
send her information to Deadspin and the rest is history.

In the email, Heather M. suggest that Rainey did not smack his girlfriend.

Heather M:

Mr. Hensley,

I am writing you in regard to your article about the Steeler’s dismissal of Chris Rainey after his arrest this morning.
Chris is actually my next door neighbor and I happened to see the whole ordeal transpire from my apartment as
I was getting ready for class this morning. What the police report/your article describes as Chris “pull[ing] the woman out of a vehicle…
and then slapp[ing] her in the face with an open hand” was actually him pulling on a backpack that she was also holding and she took
a few steps outside the open car door that she was sitting sideways in (because he obviously pulled harder than she did). The only thing that
I can imagine witnesses claiming to be a slap to the face was when he tried to snatch the bag and she put her hand in the way and his hand
made a slapping noise against hers.

By the time I left for class, there were police officers taking statements, but the girl with whom he was arguing was telling the police officers the truth about what happened
, so I did not feel it was necessary to make a statement. It seemed like they were just going through a formality because 911 was called.
As a result of reading your article, I contacted GPD and asked to file a report on what actually happened. I was treated like a criminal,
despite being a straight A student and never having even a little trouble with the law. I was accused of lying and told that, although they can’t tell me
who reported what, there was at least one witness who said they saw him slap her in the face.

I think that it is also worth noting that the person who called 911 was a neighbor who openly dislikes Chris and his roommate and wanders
the neighborhood asking if she can have our passwords for our internet instead of buying her own.

Thank you,
Heather M.



I find it truly hilarious that Heather M., added the fact that witness is a wandering neighbor who goes around bumming wi-fi and stealing signals,
as if that would make her less credible of a witness.

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she was inside the apartment and she heard his hand make a slapping noise???



http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2013/01/witness-who-called-911-on-chris-rainey-accused-of-stealing-neighbors-wi-fi-

this is the link to his court appearance

http://video.gainesville.com/video/2088258033001

Woops Fer, looks like you and I posted at the same time.

So I'll delete mine, but leave my "commentary"

You know, I have to add something here. About 10 years ago, my now ex and I got into a huge fight -- probably the biggest one of our marriage (and honestly we only had three). We were outside and he got so mad at me he punched the downspout of the gutter and broke it. Long story short, we made up and since we were going to leave for NY the next day, he took our dog to the kennel for boarding. About 15 minutes after he left, the sheriff showed up at my house. They wanted to talk to him. (my nosy neighbor called the police). I was incredulous. I was like -- nothing happening here. They were adament to the point of being rude that they wanted to see him. I told them what happened, said "look do you see bruises or anything"?. My husband pulls in the driveway and they talk to him. The point is they didn't even believe me when I told them what happened and that my husband never had, nor would he ever come close to laying a hand on me. I know they were just doing their job (I could have killed my neighbor though), but maybe Chris really didn't do anything. Did the Steelers even give him a chance to explain?

sorry ginger you posted it first but i just liked the pic from the other link

Quote :

sorry ginger you posted it first but i just liked the pic from the other link

Admit it Fer -- you like that shirt Rainey is wearing because it reminds you of our throwback uniforms.....