Bucs Nicholson tasered and arrested in bar scuffle

Bucs safety Donte Nicholson was tasered twice during a scuffle with police early Sunday morning at a St. Petersburg nightclub.

Nicholson, 26, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery and resisting arrest without violence. He was booked into Pinellas County jail at 3:35 a.m. Sunday and released at 6:50 a.m. after posting $300 bail.

The incident occurred around closing time at the Venue, a nightclub located at 2675 Ulmerton Road. According to Sgt. Jim Bordner, a spokesman for the Pinellas County Sheriff's office, there was a disturbance at the entrance at the club involving Nicholson's friend, Torrey Robinson, 31.

Authorities say Robinson tried to re-enter the Venue, which is against club policy, and encountered two off-duty deputies who were working as security guards. Robinson claimed he was a Buccaneers player and flashed an expensive watch which struck one of the security guards in the face.

Sheriff's deputies investigating the altercation had to deploy their Taser to subdue Robinson. While he was being handcuffed, another disturbance broke out involving Nicholson, who was told by deputies to roll on his stomach.

According to sheriff's reports, when Nicholson tried to get up, he was tasered with no effect. As Nicholson was trying to pull the probe of the Taser from his chest, he was tasered again and subdued.

Robinson also was charged with two misdemeanors, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence. He was released from Pinellas County jail at 6:52 a.m Sunday after posting $300 bail.      

Nicholson was a fifth-round pick by the Bucs in 2005 from Oklahoma. He played in just one game last season and re-signed with the Bucs on June 21.

The Bucs report to training camp on Friday at the Celebration Hotel.   

Comments

[Al Reyes]

Welcome to the club!

[Matt]

Nothing good ever happens for football players after midnight.

[joey]

WOW, 2 tasers, that cat needs to start as our punter, he can really take a hit!

[lost buc]

Matt i could not agree more...why do million dollar babies not hire drivers, their own sober guards...and better yet a "mommy" to make sure you don't mess up and ruin your life...my god this is sad.

[Bobbert]

This is your brain on steroids.

[Al]

The NFL harbors a culture of stupidity.

[Michael Pittman]

I don't really get what the big deal is...

[David]

Since when does a watch qualify as ID? And really, why would being a Buc exempt him from the rules?

It's simple, really. You can take a thug out of the hood, but you can't take the hood out of a thug.

[John Klopfer]

The bucs need to get down to 80 players...obviously Donte has proved he has no sense,maybe he should get an invitation not to go to training camp. This would be the perfect time for the bucs to make a statement! Gruden are you listening?

[NINJA]

It seems a taser gun can take the hood out of a thug!

[The Joker]

go bucs.

go home.

[mumbles]

The Venue turned into Donte's inferno.

[booyah]

Hey Donte, are you a fa fa fa fa fa fa footbaw pwayer?

[Gary]

The Venue and Baywalk. Both are full of thugs and trouble.

[Joe Simmons (Slow Joe)]

I will never understand why people don't show respect when they see a badge. Even IF a police officer acts inappropriately, deal with it and sue the department later.

[cole]

not surprising. This is where DUImeg got his DUI..I have also heard it is full of thugs and wannabes.. Heard they also lost a Superbowl Bash because of the reputation of the Venue going downhill fast..

anything with DUImegs name on it seems to be bad news

I find it appalling how eager the police seem to be to taser somebody. I somehow doubt it was necessary.

[not a buc fan]

why is he flashing his watch and saying he is a buc's player? who would admit that? LOL

Wonder if the hours of moonlighting is showing up on the 1040's?

[Jack]

Maybe Gruden needs a Tazer?

[James]

I'm hearing from a few friends who were there (they didn't see the incident) and heard rumblings throughout the club that the police officers acted like assholes out front and took it too far real fast and being that they were Pinellas cops makes this not so hard to believe.

Plus, what the hell are off-duty cops doing bouncing at nightclubs? This is the real problem here. Cops have far to much a superiority complex while they're on duty, what the hell do you expect from them while they're off duty?

Wait, I know why they were thier. Pinellas County wants thier only real nightclub to be a safe, clean place by keeping the thugs who hawk-eye the folks inside flashing cash so they can follow them outside to rob them. These off-duty cops should be on duty preventing such disturbing things at other area nightclubs.

Where was Jeremey Stevens when this was going on?

[M. Reynolds]

Ok hold up. Let's look at some of that information.

Someone please illustrate the circumstances under which a person needs to be tasered twice and then is charged with "resisting arrest without violence"?

Last time I checked, you tase a person who is a legitimate threat to your safety and well-being. The cop tasered him while he was lying on the ground and attempting to get up. Hardly a threatening position.

So maybe you folks might want to consider who is in the wrong here before you start firing our players.

[Mel]

James...your comment is so stupid it doesn't deserve a response but I couldn't resist....you're an IDIOT!

[Tim]

Where was Jeremey Stevens when this was going on?

Posted by: | July 21, 2008 at 03:30 PM

Out trying to tap his 15 year old neighbor...

[Reggie White]

James you moron... Your first paragraph really shows how stupid you are. Your posting about something that your friends told you they HEARD about but did not see!! Now you're on here posting about it as if your friends saw every little part of the incident that went on.

The night clubs hire cops through the police department to be present in uniform at the door of clubs so that they can handle problems that come up. The clubs pay the police department who in turn pays the cops who are there. They are in uniform and acting in their official capacity.

[James]

Mel below me!

And Reggie, you don't make any sense. I posted about the talk within the club afterwards was how the cops took it too far, too fast. Go back to school and learn some reading comprehension skills past your 1st grade reading level. Fuckin' bum.

[Mid-County Uhurus]

We iz jus one mo episode from creatin' some trouble in the mid-county area.

Posse Up FELLAZ

Don't tas me bro.......

[Go Down, Moses]

He should have been tased on general principle. Going to the Univesity of Oklahoma proves he isn't too smart.

[marshall jones]

gruden loves players with police records. this idiot will be a starter for sure.

[Jim]

Tim what's wrong,..jealous of Jeremy? I mean even a 15 year old wouldn't go for you, right?

[Buc Fan]

I don't know why football players still go to clubs without a body guard and/or driver.

This might have been avoided if the club bouncers use some common sense too. Why quote "club policy" to a potential high paying customer? A club that wants to make money, lets Nicholson back in.

The police are then not involved.

Who knows, the club might gain some customers and some good will with the Bucs and the NFL. How many NFLers go there Super Bowl weekend after this?

Still, a 26yr old Nicholson should know better.

[Jim]

Marshall, you're just plain dumb, first of all, he plays on special teams. Second of all, if everyone who had a police record didn't have a job, 3/4 of Florida would be on welfare. If you read the shite, it says the tased him for getting up off the ground, not for swinging at an officer or threatening anyone. Half of you sweaty fat slobs hiding behind your keyboards would have laid down and pissed themselves when a cop just looked hard at you, so stop with all the chatter, the guy could probably buy and sell any one of two or three times over, and the only payback you can get for it is to write crap on a two-bit blog, what a buncha winners...

[Mike]

Judas Priest! Testosterone poisoning! What a way to start Training Camp. Will this stupidity ever end?

[Brandon]

Anyone know where I can get hit with a police taser WITHOUT being arrested?

Donte got hit again while trying to pull the first taze out of his chest... that shows more toughness than we've seen in his time with the Bucs.

I want to be tazed.

[Jeramy Stevens]

I can't believe the stupid cops fell for this diversion. I had my way with this teenage girl behind a tree 10 feet from the cop car. Good job boys! I'll get ya the bracelet to match my watch I gave you!

[Buc Fan 2]

I worked in a club in Tampa in 1992-95, in spring many of Reds and Tigers players would come during spring training. The club had dress code and a policy of no "do-rags". Deion Sanders of the Falcons and Braves tried to get in with a do-rag and the bouncers would not let him in. Neon-Deion did not want to take the do-rag off, luckily the clubs owner was nearby and quickly intervened and let Deion in.

No incident-no police-no newspaper, goodwill and more business.

It is usually a very young college student making these decisions at the front door of the club and the power trip is intoxicating. Imagine a young guy that makes 10 bucks an hour telling a millionaire and famous athlete NO.

A Driver/bodyguard knows the doormen and communicates with the club BEFORE they go out so the bouncers can be told ahead of time who's coming. Hopefully a player can then enter and leave without incident.

Things still can happen, even with a bodyguard, ask PDiddy

Any pro player when confronted with a person in a position of authority; cop, bouncer, proprietor, etc, and told NO, the player needs to turn around without incident and leave.
He will avoid an arrest and a newspaper article

[Maria]

When you argue with police while drunk bad things will happen. This is one of the few establishments in all of Tampa Bay that single woman can actually feel comfortable going too. Thugs at the Venue? Sounds like sour apples too me! Fine dinning and a grownup crowd, maybe these sports 20-somethings need to be in Ybor.

[sooner mike]

GO DOWN MOSES YES HE WENT TO OU DO YOU DISLIKE OU BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS BEAT YOUR FAVORITE TEAM ?

[Rickster in Gulfport, FL]

I think this was Steve Deumig's club, The Big Dog on 620 WDAE.

Now we know how he gets his inside info...

Alcohol is such a messed up drug, can't believe it is legal and other things are not.

[sooner mike]

YES EVERYONE D.N WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA SO WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mary Jane]

Legalize the Ganja!

[Chip]

Why does a professional athlete need to act like a punk when he had the perfect opportunity to exhibit some class? His friend lied and got things started, Nicholson bought into it and acted stupidly. The Bucs need to cut him. There are plenty of safeties who can hit that want a trade for more playing time.

[Alejandro Pena]

Next you'll get tazed for jaywalking.

[JFeldz]

The real headline is "Donte Nicholson required two tasers to take him down"

[IMISS_No47]

Jack is right, Gruden needs a taser. Let's build some guard towers and give the assistant coaches some shotguns with rubber bullets. Let's turn the Bucs' training camp into a prison yard! Maybe it'll resonate more with the players/thugs.

[annonymous]

First of all, I work there as a cocktail waitress, and was working when this went down on Sat. The cops were doing their jobs and the club closed as this was happening it was 2 something. Second, yes Dumeg (however you spell it) is an investor in The Venue.He doesn't own it, nor is it "his" club. We don't have any thugs. Most of the people that go in there are 30's and up. I've worked there since opening, and I've seen only 2 ordeals, and it was bc the D-bags were wasted and were resisting! They weren't even fights. I haven't seen any fights since working there. So whoever says it's going down fast, has the wrong information. And for the D-bags that think bc they have money they get what they want. Think twice.

Thanks

[Steve Dumeg]

I fully support the abuse of alcohol and driving drunk! I will now blame Gruden for the deeds of another grown adult male. Gruden was even at fault for my DUI. He slipped me a roofy, forced me to drink shots of Vodka, and then had the cops pull me over! I'll Get you GRUDEN!!