US police have arrested Jonathan Dwyer of the Arizona Cardinals on suspicion of assault, just the latest NFL player to hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The allegations stem from an incident in July at a Phoenix home and involved a 27-year-old woman and an 18-month-old baby boy, media reports said.
"We became aware of these allegations this afternoon when notified by Phoenix police and are cooperating fully," the Cardinals said in a statement, adding Dwyer will not play for an indefinite period.
"Given the serious nature of the allegations we have taken the immediate step to deactivate Jonathan from all team activities.
"We will continue to closely monitor this as it develops and evaluate additional information as it becomes available."
The Arizona Republic newspaper reported on its azcentral.com website that the 25-year-old running back was arrested at the team's training facility on suspicion of aggravated assault.
A Phoenix police spokesman said investigators took a report on the incident on September 11 and detectives had since been seeking medical records and interviewing witnesses.
Dwyer is in his fifth NFL season. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals in March.
Dwyer's arrest quickly made headlines because it follows high-profile legal cases involving NFL players Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy.
Baltimore Ravens star Rice has been banned indefinitely from the league after punching his fiancee.
Carolina player Hardy is appealing a conviction for assaulting a former girlfriend and Peterson is charged with child abuse for administering a whipping to his young son, a charge that he denies.
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald is also accused of striking his pregnant girlfriend.
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