ATLANTA (AP) — National Football League player Ben Cleveland of the Baltimore Ravens has been charged with drunken driving in Georgia, according to a sheriff’s report obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Cleveland, who previously played for the University of Georgia, was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy near Milledgeville, Georgia, last Wednesday, the incident report shows.
A deputy noticed that Cleveland’s black pickup truck was weaving outside of its lane and left the roadway at one point, the incident report states. The truck then turned “and entered the opposite lane of travel, nearly going into the ditch,” a Baldwin County sheriff’s deputy wrote.
After Cleveland was stopped, he told the deputy he had been at a local country club and had consumed about three to four beers, but none in the previous two hours.
He agreed to a blood alcohol test and registered 0.178, which is over the legal limit in Georgia, the report states.
Cleveland was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, and failing to stay in his lane.
Jail booking records do not list an attorney who could speak on Cleveland’s behalf. The Associated Press sent emails seeking comment to multiple representatives of the Ravens organization.
The 6-foot-6 (198-centimeter), 343-pound (156-kilo) Cleveland was nicknamed “Big Country” during his college career at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-SEC pick and Associated Press third-team All-American in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.
Cleveland has appeared in 54 games for Baltimore since the Ravens selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
He has battled injuries as a pro, started seven career games and played mostly on special teams this past season. He was wearing a medical boot when he was pulled over in Georgia, the incident report states. He told the deputy he had pain in his ankle and didn’t want to continue some of the field sobriety tests that involved walking and standing.
In October, Ravens coach John Harbaugh awarded Cleveland a game ball for blocking a 52-yard field goal attempt in a 30-23 win over Washington.
