NFL Legend Warren Sapp Arrested For Soliciting a Prostitute

NFL legend and NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp was recently arrested inside a Phoenix hotel for allegedly soliciting a prostitute and for assault.

A Reuters report published on Yahoo Sports  said Sapp was booked at the Maricopa County jail after the incident which allegedly involved two escorts whom he quarreled with over monetary issues.

The 42-year-old NFL legend is reportedly facing one count of misdemeanor charge and two counts of assault after one of the escorts claimed that Sapp hurt her after a companion had an argument with him inside one of the guest rooms.

"The altercation turned physical, spilling into the hallway," the police was quoted by Reuters as saying.

A police report cited on the incident cited by Reuters also explained that Sapp engaged in "an act of prostitution" with one of the escorts but he vehemently denied that he assaulted any of them.

Hours after news of his arrest broke, the NFL Network announced that they were already firing Sapp. The Los Angeles Times reported that the network's vice president of communications, Alex Riethmiller confirmed the termination of Sapp's contract with the network.

"Warren Sapp's contract has been terminated and he no longer works for NFL Network ," the network said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown hotel where the incident happened made this initial statement as quoted by Los Angeles Time.

"We have been contacted by the Phoenix Police Department regarding a matter involving one of our guests. We are cooperating with the police as they investigate this situation," said Jon Erickson, director of sales and marketing of the hotel.

The Los Angeles Times also learned that Sapp will appear in court at 4 p.m. on Monday.

Playing more than 10 seasons in the NFL, Sapp has already won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. Reports reveal that he was also named as the defensive player of the year in 1997 and reached Pro-Bowl seven times. Sports Illustrated added that he was elected to the Hall of Fame two years ago.

He started working as an analyst for the NFL Network after he retired and he was recently in Arizona to cover the Super Bowl XLIX.

According to Sports Illustrated, executives of the NFL Network "have little tolerance for criminal allegations that create headlines." It noted that Sapp also nearly lost his stint as an analyst in the network when he claimed via a Tweet that former New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey was a "snitch" (informant) in the bounty scandal that caused the team a lot of penalties. This prompted Shockey to deny the allegations and Sapp apologized to him after.