Ricola
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Vikings receiver Randy Moss was arrested Tuesday evening after a reported run-in with a Minneapolis police traffic control officer in downtown Minneapolis.
Moss was shown on local television in a squad car in handcuffs, according to The Associated Press. ESPN.com is reporting that the star receiver will face a second-degree assault charge, which is a felony.
Minneapolis police are reportedly preparing a statement about the incident and possible charges and are expected to release it Tuesday night.
Minneapolis police spokeswoman Cyndi Barrington said Moss was in police custody Tuesday night and his Lexus remains impounded after the incident that occurred about 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Barrington said the traffic officer tried to stop Moss from making an illegal turn, and Moss used his car to slowly push the officer along the street.
The officer was not seriously hurt.
A man who was coming out of the jail at the time Moss was heading in told the Star Tribune that Moss wasn't wearing handcuffs, was escorted by two deputies, appeared to be carrying paperwork and that he looked mad. "He looked very angry," Tim Callender told the newspaper.
Moss, 25, is coming off of a poor game Sunday for the winless Vikings.
He caught four passes for only 16 yards and was the object of sideline berating from quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper and Moss both downplayed the sideline incident, saying they are friends and the incident was borne from competitive frustration.
Vikings coach Mike Tice said Tuesday night that he had no comment on the incident until he had more details, saying he was still trying to figure out "what is going on," according to ESPN.com.
Moss became the center of the Vikings offense this season, with new head coach Mike Tice pledging to institute a "Randy Ratio" in which 40 percent of all passes are thrown to Moss.
The Vikings wide receiver has been involved in a number of on- and off-field incidents since he was drafted in the first round in 1998. He squirted a referee with a water bottle in 1999 and reportedly abused corporate sponsors on the team bus in 2001.
He was also involved in several heated sideline exchanges with Culpepper and former Vikings receiver Cris Carter last season.
Despite having a strong year statistically, Moss was left off the All Pro team last season while the Viking struggled through a 5-11 season that ended in tumult when former coach Dennis Green abruptly resigned before the season finale.
There were reports that some NFL players -- who select the Pro Bowl team -- were miffed by comments Moss made last season in which he said he only plays hard when he wants to.
Moss is in his fifth year with the Vikings and is the team's highest-paid player. He signed an eight-year, $75 dollar contract with the Vikings last year.
