Thirsty NFL star steals beer for his blackjack table
Stolen beer

Some NFL players make news not only because of their performance on the field. An interesting incident occurred at a casino blackjack table.

Mike Vrabel, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, was arrested at a blackjack card games table for petty theft at the Belterra Casino in Florence, Indiana. The NFL star enjoyed a string of successes during his productive career, including helping his teams win three Super Bowl championships.

However he would rather forget the latest episode, when he was arrested for alleged theft of eight bottles of beer at the casino’s deli. Vrabel was trying to prove his deep knowledge of blackjack strategy at one of Belterra Casino’s tables, when the incident occurred.

According to many witnesses at the casino the 35 year old was minding his own business playing mid-limit blackjack and doing pretty well. He was friendly, politely chatting with fellow players about the latest blackjack tricks and the usual casino banter. He repeatedly asked for some beer to quench his thirst, which normally is given for free to anyone playing a table game. However, perhaps due to the lateness of the hour, the forgetfulness of the waitress or due to a simple twist of fate, his request was forgotten twice.

Vrabel’s patience came to an end, so he got up, and went to grab beer for himself and his table mates at the casino’s deli. A casino security agent observed the NFL star taking alcohol on the casino’s CCTV cameras and later arrested Vrabel. After posting $600 bail, the player was released from custody and is now facing charges of Class-D felony and a possible three year prison term in addition to a $10,000 fine.

Nevertheless, Vrabel doesn’t seem to be gravely concerned over the incident and had the following to say: “It was an unfortunate misunderstanding and I take full responsibility for the miscommunication. I feel comfortable that after talking with the appropriate parties, we will resolve this matter.”

His team immediately took his side and issued an official statement: “We understand that Mike has communicated publicly that the matter is a misunderstanding for which he takes full responsibility. We hope it is resolved for Mike in a positive way.”