Tom GantertMinneapolis, MN – National Football League (NFL) player Jayron Kearse was arrested early on Sunday morning on drunk driving and firearms charges.
The arrest occurred after a state trooper saw Kearse drive his Mercedes around a barricade on a closed portion of Interstate 94 at about 4 a.m. on Oct. 27, ESPN reported.
The police report said the trooper stopped the Minnesota Vikings’ safety and observed signs of alcohol impairment while talking with him.
Kearse allegedly had a blood alcohol concentration of .10, according to ESPN.
The NFL player was arrested for driving while impaired.
The police report said the trooper also found a loaded firearm inside Kearse’s vehicle, ESPN reported.
Kearse did not have a permit for the weapon.
There were two other people with the football player in his car when he was arrested.
Kearse was booked into the Hennepin County Jail at 5:27 a.m. on Sunday morning on suspicion of fourth-degree DWI and carrying a firearm without a permit, ESPN reported.
He was released on a $6,000 bond Sunday afternoon.
Kearse told reporters in the locker room after his release that he needed to start making better decisions, according to the Pioneer Press.
“I’m truly sorry for what I did. For the decisions that I made,” he said.
Kearse, who recently became a special teams captain, said he knew he was being held to a higher standard and that he had not handled it well, the Pioneer Press reported.
This is not Kearse’s first – or second – encounter with police.
Kearse was arrested for a home invasion robbery in 2008 as a teenager, according to WINK.
One of the people with him during the home invasion pointed a gun at two women and then robbed their home, WBBH reported.
He was also arrested for trespassing in 2012, WINK reported.
The NFL hasn’t commented on Kearse’s arrest yet and the Minnesota Vikings kept their remarks succinct, ESPN reported.
“We are aware of Jayron’s arrest and are gathering additional information at this time,” the team said in a statement.
Kearse is the nephew of retired NFL veteran Jevon Kearse, who played 11 seasons with the Tennessee Titans and the Philadelphia Eagles.
He was drafted by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft and has earned $2.5 million in his first four seasons, according to ESPN.