DL Alonzo Spellman (official thread)

[StillAWagonFan]

Originally Posted by akronbuck

I would take spellman in a sec over vrabel. Spellman played only 3 years.

The others unknown

Spellman may have been a better physical specimen than Vrabel, but Vrabel was a much more productive player! Bob Brudzinski was another all-american defensive end (here on the all-time OSU defensive team with Vrabel) that would rank ahead of Spellman. I saw Spellman play throughout his OSU career and thought he was great, but Vrabel, Brudzinski, De Cree and Houston would all rank ahead of him as defensive ends.

All-time OSU defensive team packs quite a wallop
By Larry Phillips
Gannett News Service

Jack Tatum was just a sophomore at Ohio State when he met O.J. Simpson.
Although Simpson ripped off a memorable 80-yard TD run against the Buckeyes in that 1969 Rose Bowl, the Juice said his clearest memory of that afternoon is an introduction to Tatum.
Taking a swing pass out of the backfield deep in Ohio State territory, Simpson was blasted out of bounds by Tatum short of the goal line in a one-on-one hit. That tackle saved a touchdown and set the tone for a 27-16 OSU victory that secured the 1968 national championship.
It was the kind of play only elite defenders make. But the Buckeyes have turned loose a few guys who could pursue a lightning quick power back and deliver a game-turning blow.
Sticky defensive backs, strong run stoppers, roaming linebackers ... Ohio State has unleashed an outstanding stable of athletes on this side of the ball. They shared one common thread. Each liked to hit.
Here’s a look at the best to wear Scarlet and Gray.
Jim Stillwagon (1968-1970)
Defensive Line
Stillwagon could be considered Ohio State’s greatest defensive lineman. A 6-foot, 220-pound Mount Vernon product, he became a two-time All-American by consistently fighting off double-team blocks from his middle guard spot. The tenacious Stillwagon won the Outland and Lombardi Awards in 1970 and is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Bill Willis (1942-1944)
Defensive Line
Another college and pro football Hall of Famer, Willis landed on the line because of his size. Still, he was one of the fastest players on his teams and that lethal combination made him an All-American in 1944. Today, at 6-2, 210, Willis would be an ideal running back. In his era, he went on to become a seven-time All-Pro at middle guard.

Mike Vrabel was a pass-rushing machine for the Buckeyes. (Gannett News Service photo)

Mike Vrabel (1993-1996)
Defensive Line
A two-time All-American, Vrabel (6-4, 270) is probably the school’s best pass rusher. He established Ohio State’s single-season and career sacks records with 13 and 36, respectively. Vrabel also left school with 66 tackles for loss, another OSU record. The 1996 defense was one of the best in school history, and Vrabel was one of the biggest factors.
Bob Brudzinski (1973-1976)
Defensive Line
Brudzinski (6-4, 228) is the only defensive end to be named team MVP in the past 40 years. He had a spectacular year as a senior, often dropping into coverage off the line. Brudzinski broke up five passes and led the team in interceptions in 1976. He also posted 126 tackles and had 10 sacks that season.
Chris Spielman (1984-1987)
Linebacker
Spielman’s ferocious intensity made him an immediate crowd favorite. His performances in big games elevated him to legendary status. This two-time All-American and Lombardi Award winner was selected MVP of the 1986 Cotton Bowl. His two interceptions also keyed an upset win over No. 1-ranked Iowa in 1985 and he racked up 29 tackles against Michigan in 1986. The 6-2, 240-pound Spielman completed his career with a school-record 283 solo stops.
Randy Gradishar (1971-1973)
Linebacker
Woody Hayes called Gradishar his best linebacker. Gradishar (6-2, 236) was the heart of a 1973 defense that fashioned four shutouts and allowed just 64 points during an undefeated season. This two-time All-American is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.

Vic Janowicz, seen here carrying the ball, was also one of OSU’s best defensive backs of all time. (Photo courtesy of the College Football Hall of Fame)

Tom Cousineau (1975-1978)
Linebacker
Another two-time All-American, Cousineau owns the school’s single-season tackles record with 211 stops in 1978. He was also MVP of the 1977 Orange Bowl when the Buckeyes hammered Colorado 27-10. At 6-3 and 224 pounds, Cousineau might have been OSU’s most active linebacker. He owns six of the school’s top 10 single-game tackle performances and became the first Ohio State player selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft, although he opted to play in the CFL.
Vic Janowicz (1949-1951)
Defensive Back
Janowicz was the Charles Woodson of his day, only better. Not only did he win the Heisman as a junior for his offensive play, he was also a superb safety, punter and kicker. The 5-9, 186-pound Janowicz drilled a 38-yard field goal in the 1950 Snow Bowl, which still ranks as Ohio State’s greatest field goal. He also nailed 10 extra points in a game at Iowa that season. He might be the Buckeyes’ finest all-around player.
Jack Tatum (1968-1970)
Defensive Back
The school’s most vicious hitter, Sports Illustrated recently listed the 6-foot, 208-pound Tatum as a starter on its all-century college football team. He burst on the national scene as a sophomore by throttling Purdue All-American Leroy Keyes during a 13-0 upset of the Boilermakers. Had there been a Jim Thorpe Award during Tatum’s day, he may have won it twice. Instead, the New Jersey native had to settle for two-time All-America honors.
Neal Colzie (1972-1974)
Defensive Back
Colzie finished his career with 15 interceptions, but that was only part of his skill. He was also Ohio State’s greatest punt returner, and his spectacular 56-yard dash against USC in the 1974 Rose Bowl turned the game. The flashy, 6-2, 202-pound Colzie became an All-American in 1974.

Antoine Winfield made up for his lack of size with a lot of heart. (Gannett News Service photo)

Antoine Winfield (1995-1998)
Defensive Back
This Akron product might be the smallest player on either side of the ball (5-9, 170), but only Spielman matched his heart. Winfield was probably the school’s greatest cornerback for his combination of run support and pass coverage. Winfield was voted team MVP in 1997 and became an All-American and the Jim Thorpe Award winner as a senior.
Mike Doss (1999-2002)
Nickel Back
This three-time All-American was the soul of the 2002 national championship team. A safety who was second only to Jack Tatum among OSU’s fiercest hitters, Doss had a flair for the dramatic. He had two interceptions in an upset at Michigan in 2001, and added another pick that led to the Buckeyes’ first TD in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. Doss led the team in tackles as a junior and was second as a senior, when he was a finalist for the Thorpe Award as the nation's finest defensive back.

Mike Doss celebrates an interception during the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. (Jason J. Molyet/Gannett News Service)

Tom Skladany (1973-1976)
Punter
Skladany is just one of six three-time All-Americans in Ohio State history. Skladany established a single-season school record with 46.7 yards per punt and finished his career at 42.7 yards per kick. The Buckeyes didn’t punt often during his career, but he was a field-position weapon that justified coach Hayes making him the school’s first scholarship punter.

[akronbuck]

before my times

I think Houstons boy played QB for akron st.v when they won the state tiltle in 1989 with past buckeye jason simmons

[7 45 33 48]

Originally Posted by akronbuck

I would take spellman in a sec over vrabel. Spellman played only 3 years.

The others unknown

Spellman may have had more talent because of his physical skills (size, strength, speed) but Vrabel and Will Smith were better. Based on their play on the field, Spellman doesn't match Vrabel and Smith or the names mentioned above. Spellman never reached his potential at Ohio State and was always known to take plays off and get stupid penalties. He was never an all-american or even close to the sack numbers of Smith, Vrabel, Finkes, and Simmons.

[goodguy]

Originally Posted by 7 45 33 48

Spellman may have had more talent because of his physical skills (size, strength, speed) but Vrabel and Will Smith were better. Based on their play on the field, Spellman doesn't match Vrabel and Smith or the names mentioned above. Spellman never reached his potential at Ohio State and was always known to take plays off and get stupid penalties. He was never an all-american or even close to the sack numbers of Smith, Vrabel, Finkes, and Simmons.

So true. Spellman was the big stud on campus when I was freshmen (1991). He regularly parked his primered BMW in front of my dorm room window. Talk about a big hat and no cattle. To me Spellmen was never good as advertised.

The heart and soul of current average OSU player is ten times better than the average player of the early 90's. Spellmen included. Thank God for Tressell.

[AM 68]

I knew a guy in Chicago, he was a friend of the boss. Who started a few games at QB for Purdue in the early 90's. As we talked I mentioned I was from tOSU. He began a rant about how on the last play of the 2nd quarter of a game in the shoe Allonzo punched him in b@lls. He said it hurt so bad that he was puking the enitre halftime and could hardly walk the rest of the game being they swelled up to the size of oranges. What do you expect with a hand the size of his. I laughed and thought it was a great story.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ESPN.com

6/9/06

Spellman returns to football after addressing disorder


LAS VEGAS -- Alonzo Spellman has lived the dazzling high of being an NFL first-round draft choice. He also knows the lows; he once spent six months in the depths of a depression in a darkened bedroom.

Today, Spellman will tell you the only place he can function with success is somewhere in between: the murky shadows of the gray area.

Spellman, sitting in a quiet hotel suite 27 floors above the circus that is the Mandalay Bay Casino, exhales deeply. There is an undeniable wisdom in his weary brown eyes. His face, creased and framed by sparse coils of unnaturally yellow hair, seems far older than 34 years.

SPELLMAN ON 'SPORTSCENTER'Alonzo Spellman recently sat down with ESPN for an exclusive, in-depth interview to discuss his comeback. The feature will air on the Sunday night "SportsCenter."
• Spellman fighting bipolar disorder "No one wants to exist in it, because it's not too fun in there," Spellman says, gently shaking his head. "People want to be on the high side of things, while some people are on the low side. I need to be in the middle, understand?

"It gets vanilla -- every day is like the same routine. It's about playing as fast as humanly possible and, when you leave the field, living a slow life. It might sound easy, but it's extremely difficult to do."

Gray, Spellman has come to learn, is good.

Many athletes struggle to separate life on and off the field, but for Spellman the degree of difficulty has been extraordinary. For while he was blessed with a magnificent 6-foot-4, 300-pound body, his brain is tragically flawed.

Spellman suffers from bipolar I disorder, a disease that prematurely ended his nine-year NFL career and, on a number of occasions, nearly ended his life.

Dr. Xavier Amador, a professor at Columbia University, examined Spellman several years ago. "You think that the up periods are super -- they feel great -- you have energy, you have focus," Amador said. "The problem is when you invariably crash, you end up in that depressive period.

"It's chemical chaos in the brain."


"Pray for me, but don't be sorry for me. Pray for me, though."

Alonzo Spellman


The good news? After an initial diagnosis eight years ago, Spellman finally has accepted that he must take his daily medication, which calms the urge toward erratic and dangerous behavior. The disease is under control to the extent that, after a five-year absence, he is playing football again.

Spellman just completed his first season with the Arena Football League's Las Vegas Gladiators, who went 5-11 and failed to make the playoffs.

The bare numbers suggest that Spellman's season was a failure, too.

Spellman played nose tackle in all 16 games and produced this seemingly meager line: four tackles, three assists, two forced fumbles, one sack.

Make no mistake though, Spellman is exceedingly happy to be here. Unlike former Oakland Raiders center Barrett Robbins, who also suffers from bipolar disorder, Spellman is still in the game.


Body of Work



The video of his junior and senior seasons at Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, N.J., is, frankly, amazing.

Spellman, a head taller than most of the other players, virtually engulfs opposing runners. He seems to almost absorb them into his imposing body.

That was the overwhelming thing, even back in the beginning -- his impossibly outsized body.

"He was bigger than life. I mean, you're not 6-foot-4, 245, 250 pounds with a 28-inch waist walking around the school building without attracting attention," said Raj Mackara, his high school defensive coordinator.

The attention came from all corners of the country. Spellman was a USA Today All-American, and many of the major schools recruited him as a linebacker and defensive end.

"He just had everything that they were looking for: size, speed, aggressiveness," said Bruce Lazaruk, Spellman's high school coach. "And that body … everybody was like 'what a specimen.'"



Allen Kee/WireImage.com
Spellman spent his first six NFL seasons with the Bears.



Spellman went to Ohio State, where he stayed for three seasons. He was 20 years old when the Chicago Bears selected him in the first round of the 1992 NFL draft, making him one of the youngest picks ever.

"They always thought his potential was going to be great and he would grow into a great football player," said Don Pierson, who covered the Bears for the Chicago Tribune. "But here was a guy who was trapped inside of a man's body from the time he was a kid."

Spellman signed a four-year, $3.06 million rookie contract and, suddenly, he could have almost anything he wanted: cars, trucks, a house for his mom, a house of his own that was furnished completely in white.

"I was waking up every morning coming out of my house, looking at my car, looking at my clothes, and I was like 'man, this is great,'" Spellman said. "It was like lights, cameras, action every morning when I woke up.

"Money ain't everything, but it's right up there with air, you know what I mean?"

In 1996, the Bears matched a four-year, $12 million free agent offer from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Spellman responded with eight sacks, giving him a total of 23½ in a span of three seasons. But his relationship with the team began to deteriorate, and a shoulder injury forced him to miss the last nine games of the 1997 season. The Bears wanted him to undergo arthroscopic surgery, but he refused.

Yet that situation was minor relative to an offseason incident the following March.

He arrived early in the morning at the Tower Lakes home of his publicist, Nancy Mitchell, in suburban Chicago for a league-mandated steroids test.

But when the doctor called to say a snowstorm would make him late for the 8 a.m. appointment, Spellman became angry. Spellman told Mitchell that he was going to kill himself. Mitchell, who had lost a son to suicide two years earlier, believed him and called 911. Spellman ground a cigarette into the rug, then pulled the phone off the wall. Police arrived and the story was suddenly all over Chicago radio and television.

Former Bears linebacker Mike Singletary, whose last season with Chicago was Spellman's first, heard reports of Spellman's being armed, having hostages, and threatening to kill himself. Singletary immediately drove to the house.

"Alonzo Spellman's in this house and he's surrounded by police, FBI helicopters flying around -- and I'm thinking, I'm hearing it, but I'm not really believing or understanding it," said Singletary, now the San Francisco 49ers linebackers coach . "I walked in the door. Alonzo was sitting there on a chair in the middle of the room. He had been drinking a bit.

"It was very obvious he was afraid and angry."

Yet very aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"I was manic, moving 100 miles per hour, my mouth was moving 100 miles per hour, my thoughts were moving 100 miles per hour -- and I wasn't putting my hands on anybody," Spellman said. "Somebody that big, moving that fast, talking that fast -- it gets scary, you know what I mean? And not only gets scary for them, it gets scary for the person that is bipolar too.

"And that's how bipolar starts. And some people, unfortunately, they die in that transition. That's how serious it is."

With Singletary at his side, Spellman checked into the Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington for observation. But a day later, he walked out of the hospital, dressed only in his hospital pants, walking barefoot along Illinois Highway 22.

Later, a doctor told Spellman what was wrong.

"He said, 'you have bipolar [i] disorder,' and he went into explaining it," Spellman said. "I was like 'What? What?' Who wants to hear that they have chemicals in their brain that do what they want to do sometimes? Who wants to hear that?"

In June 1998, the Bears cut Spellman, who was growing increasingly dependent on alcohol and illegal drugs. That same month, he was arrested and charged on a felony weapons count in Michigan. In September, police found Spellman sleeping in his car parked in the fast lane of a highway. In November, he was still in denial over his medical diagnosis.

"The medical diagnosis, as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't apply to me at all," he said then in an ESPN interview. "I don't take the drugs, haven't taken them ever since this thing in the hospital, and haven't had any problems. And I'm not going to have any problems."

Nearly eight years later, Spellman listens attentively as the quote is read to him. He forces a thin smile.


The Wrong Way





Mitchell B. Reibel/Wireimage.com
Spellman registered 11 sacks in his three seasons with the Cowboys.



If you have the athletic ability, the NFL can be a forgiving league. In the summer of 1999, still only 27, Spellman remained the physical specimen that had excited college recruiters. In fact, he was at an age when many players are just reaching their prime.The Dallas Cowboys gave Spellman a second chance to play in the NFL. With the aid of medication and a supportive staff, he recorded 10 sacks in two productive seasons. In 2001, Spellman signed with the Detroit Lions, who cut him after five games.

"I pretty much thought that was it," Spellman said. "That was the end, so I started to act out, and in acting out, going back into the fast-paced lane of living again. [Then] I had another manic episode."

The July 23, 2002 passenger manifest for Delta Flight 2038, a relatively short trip from Cincinnati to Philadelphia, included three members of the Spellman family. Alonzo, off his medication for some time, was heading back to New Jersey accompanied by his mother Dorothy and sister Lorraine. Their plan was to seek help at a psychiatric hospital.

Before the plane took off, Spellman, in Row 21, began talking loudly. Kris Riscavage, sitting two rows in front of Spellman, was startled.

"I believe he had a drink; after that he started quoting things from the Bible," Riscavage told ESPN recently. "And then from there, he started saying, 'If God didn't want us to get to Philadelphia, God would allow us to crash.'"

In retrospect, it wasn't the wisest thing for Spellman to say. "Whatever came to my mind, I said it, and I said it out loud, and I said it very aggressively," Spellman said. "It rubbed a lot of people the wrong way."

Spellman's size was intimidating enough to nearby passengers, but the context of his remarks was even more terrifying. Only 10 months earlier, terrorists had crashed planes into the World Trade Center.

"It just wouldn't seem right to do at the time, it was so close to 9/11," Riscavage said. "He's making threats of crashing into mountains, crashing the plane, possible bomb on board, 'I could possibly rip off the door' ... a man of his size, I could imagine he could probably rip off the door."

According to court documents, Spellman verbally abused a flight attendant, essentially threatening to kill her for interfering. When a young mother of two asked him to stop using profanity, Spellman turned on her. He called Karen Weaver, among other things, a whore and told her to silence her crying baby.

When the plane landed and he was approached by Captain Robert Freund, Spellman said, "I can feel the adrenaline rushing through my hands. I'm about to rip your throat out."

If police came aboard, Spellman said, "They are going to have to carry me off in a body bag."

Spellman's mother and sister never brought him under control, but Philadelphia police permitted Spellman to leave the plane and pick up his baggage. After another episode, during which he damaged the house of his brother John in Willingboro, N.J., Spellman was taken by police to the Lourdes Health System-Rancocas Hospital.

A week later, he was arrested by federal authorities and placed in a Philadelphia jail.

"I know that 9/11, seeing those planes hit those buildings, it was a lot of people's worst fears came to, came to surface in their mind," Spellman said.

"Anybody that got on a plane after that, acting up, had to get spanked."

Dr. Amador, on behalf of the defense in federal case 02-494, U.S. vs. Alonzo Spellman, interviewed Spellman for 10 hours in prison in an attempt to determine whether he was legally insane during the incident.

"What my opinion was, and still is today, is that his illness created a situation where he couldn't monitor himself, he couldn't stop himself," said Amador, author of "I'm not Sick, I Don't Need Help." "We'd have a lot of sympathy for him if it was heart disease. People wouldn't stop and question, 'Did he do this to himself?' He didn't do this to himself, this is a no-fault brain disorder."

In January 2003, Spellman pleaded guilty to interference with a flight crew and two counts of simple assault on an aircraft. He was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, where taking his bipolar medication was mandatory.

This is when, more than five years after the original diagnosis, Spellman finally learned to take his medicine.

"Handcuffs, shackles, an orange suit, dark room, that you can't control the light -- yeah," Spellman said, "that'll pretty much put it in perspective for you."


The Last Chance



Football, always, was on his mind.

After he was released from prison in 2004, Spellman returned to New Jersey and strategized with his high school coaches. A return to the NFL was the objective.

"He still looked like this physical specimen, chiseled out of stone," Lazaruk said. "I said to him, 'Alonzo, you look great. You look like you're ready to step out and play.' He said, 'That's all I want, Coach, another chance to play.' "

Spellman contacted all 32 teams with the hope of landing a tryout. There were no takers. He participated in several regional combines, but nothing came of it.

"I was like, 'All right, fine, someone else is saying the cup is half full, not half empty, so I'm going to go there, and I'm going to do that."


"We'd have a lot of sympathy for him if it was heart disease. People wouldn't stop and question, 'Did he do this to himself?' He didn't do this to himself, this is a no-fault brain disorder."

Dr. Xavier Amador


That turned out to be the Arena Football League. The AFL's Gladiators had been investigating Spellman for more than a year when they finally signed him to a contract before the 2006 season. It was a relatively modest deal, something south of $100,000, but it was a new beginning for Spellman after five years out of the game.

Head coach Ron James and general manager Dan Dolby agreed that Spellman might be worth the risk.

"We saw an upside," Dolby said. "[He was] a prominent football player who could walk in here, who has had a great track record at the collegiate level and in the NFL and could come into Las Vegas and put a little bit of a name brand behind our product and then also deliver on the field for us."

There were rules, of course. Under the guidelines of his three-year probation, Spellman was required to see a psychiatrist twice a week and take his medication every single day.



Billy Precht/AFL/WireImage.com
Spellman posted meager numbers but felt at home in the AFL.



"He knows this is his last chance," James said back in April . "When I sat him down, I said, 'Alonzo, this is your second chance, there won't be a third.' He understands that."

But in a February game in Dallas, Spellman momentarily lost control and was ejected for spitting at an opponent.

"He felt so dejected and distraught about that that he came to my hotel room that evening and broke down," James said. "We had a very long heart-to-heart conversation about that, and I knew that he was sincere. I also knew that the circumstances got overblown, and it hasn't even been close to an issue ever since."

The Gladiators' season ended on May 13 with a 44-27 defeat to the Los Angeles Avengers. Spellman was credited with zero tackles, zero sacks and one quarterback hurry. His primary position was in the middle of the defense at nose tackle, where team officials say he did a solid job of stuffing the run. This, they point out, accounts for his lack of impressive statistics.

Spellman is a free agent, but the Gladiators say they plan to talk to him about a 2007 contract.

While Spellman consistently downplayed his motivation to return to the NFL, those who know him say it has never left his mind.

"I know he wants to play in the NFL," Mackara said. "I know he wants to return, I know he wants to get it right."

It's a heartwarming thought, a comeback every football fan can root for.

The reality, however, is that it probably won't happen. People in and around the league believe that a 34-year-old, with his history and who isn't as quick off the ball as he used to be, won't be given an opportunity to prove himself in NFL training camps later this summer.

So, should people feel sorry for Alonzo Spellman?

"No," Spellman said, "that would be the worst thing. Make me stand up and do the things I am supposed to do. Just like the next person, don't be sorry for me one bit.


"Pray for me, but don't be sorry for me. Pray for me, though."
Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

[Saw31]

Sportscenter is talking about him as a mixed marshall arts fighter? Hadn't heard that before. He looks old. I always wished the best for him...Mike Singletary helped him out big time during his showdown with the authorities.

Strange that he has become a topic on ESPN. Has something happened recently?

[OSU_Buckguy]

i was watching it, too. i had no idea that he is an ultimate fighter.

[Buckskin86]

Ex-NFL player Spellman arrested after chase
Tuesday, January 29, 2008

TULSA, Okla. -- Tulsa police arrested former NFL player Alonzo Spellman after firing pepper-spray pellets into his car following a brief pursuit Tuesday.
The pursuit began at 12:23 p.m. after a disturbance at a convenience store in midtown Tulsa, police spokesman Leland Ashley said.

When officers arrived, Spellman got into a green Chrysler Pacifica and drove away, Ashley said.
He took us on a little pursuit through the city," Ashley said. "We had to use stop sticks that took out three of his tires."

After the vehicle stopped, Spellman refused to get out of the car for about 20 minutes until officers fired "pepper bullets" through the windows, Ashley said.
He was arrested on complaints of traffic violations and resisting arrest and had not been booked yet, Ashley said.

7online.com: Ex-NFL player Spellman arrested after chase 1/29/08

[TRON]

Damn.

I know that Spellman has had some mental issues and hope he finds the help that he needs.

[osugrad21]

DDN

Former Buckeye Spellman arrested in Tulsa


Associated Press

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

TULSA, Okla. ? Former NFL player Alonzo Spellman was arrested Tuesday after Tulsa police fired pepper-spray pellets into his car following a nearly 20-minute chase.
The former Ohio State star was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on complaints of eluding, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, resisting arrest and driving without a license, jail records show. His bond was set at $10,700, and Spellman remained jailed early Tuesday evening.


The chase began at 12:23 p.m. after officers responded to a disturbance at a convenience store in midtown Tulsa, police spokesman Leland Ashley said. When officers arrived, Spellman got into a green Chrysler Pacifica and drove away, Ashley said.
"He took us on a little pursuit through the city," Ashley said. "We had to use stop sticks that took out three of his tires."
After the vehicle stopped, the 36-year-old Spellman refused to get out of the car for about 20 minutes until officers fired "pepper bullets" through the windows.
Ashley said he's unaware of Spellman's ties to the Tulsa community or whether he has an attorney.



Cont...

[akronbuck]

6'4 300 from 6'7 300. What type of medication is he taking.?

[ScriptOhio]

Originally Posted by TRON

Damn.

I know that Spellman has had some mental issues and hope he finds the help that he needs.

I agree, let's hope he gets the help that he needs.

[ORD_Buckeye]

Art Schlichter, Alonzo Spellman & Maurice Clarett: The Gifts That Keep On Giving.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

The Times of Trenton is reporting that Alonzo Spellman, a former NFL defensive linesman and a one-time MMA competitor, was arrested on Friday for allegedly threatening to kill another man.

Spellman was charged with aggravated assault, making terroristic threats, unlawful possession of a knife and possession of a knife for an unlawful purpose, reports the Central New Jersey newspaper. The 36-year-old was held at the Burlington County Jail held on $100,000 bail.

Link

Ex-NFLer Spellman charged with assault outside bar


By DAVID LEVINSKY
Burlington County Times



BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP — Former National Football League lineman Alonzo Spellman has been charged with threatening another man with a knife outside a bar, police said.
Spellman, a 1989 Rancocas Valley Regional High School graduate, was taken into custody yesterday afternoon outside the Sunset Tavern on Sunset Road following an afternoon dispute with another man there. During the dispute, Spellman is alleged to have threatened the man with a knife.
No injuries were reported, but Spellman was charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and terroristic threats, police said.
Williams Diggs, 44, of Willingboro was also charged with obstruction in connection with the incident, police said.
According to investigators, at about 2 p.m. Diggs and Lewis flagged down a 32-year-old man who was driving by the tavern. Police said the three men began arguing and Spellman threatened to kill the third man while holding a knife.