Falcons Player Quinn Ojinnaka Arrested In Facebook Flap

Social networking is proving to be quite dangerous to professional athletes. We've heard about teams surreptitiously spying on potential draftees, and we've seen players forced to defend different groups they joined because of the questions it raises about their character. With the arrest of Falcons offensive tackle Quinn Ojinnaka, though, we're moving into new territory.

Athletes in Trouble With the Law

Falcons lineman Quinn Ojinnaka was arrested Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of simple battery. According to the police report, Ojinnaka got into a fight with his wife over a woman he added as a friend on his Facebook account. Click through to see more sports figures who ran into trouble with the law.

Getty Images

May 29: Olympic silver medalist and former world kayaking champion Nathan Baggaley was sentenced to at least five years in prison on charges of supplying and manufacturing ecstasy pills.

Maxim Marmur, AFP / Getty Images

May 25: Former NBA star Jayson Williams, seen here during his manslaughter trial in 2004, was arrested after authorities say he punched someone in the face outside a nightclub.

Brian Branch-Price, AP

May 25: Miami Dolphins defensive end Randy Starks was charged with using his truck to hit a police officer who tried to stop the vehicle on foot.

Getty Images

May 16: Buffalo Bills fullback Corey McIntyre was arrested and accused with exposing and fondling himself in public.

Getty Images

May 15: Bruce Smith, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year, faces multiple charges after being pulled over for speeding.

Chris O'Meara, AP

May 14: Memphis Grizzlies forward Darius Miles is charged with possession of marijuana and later freed on $100 bond. Miles was suspended last season for violating the NBA's anti-drug program.

Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE / Getty Images

May 13: Former NBA player Corie Blount is sentenced to a year in jail after a plea agreement for his drug charges.

Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE / Getty Images

May 10: Former Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter was arrested on a probation violation warrant. The violation arose from a February arrest for drunken driving and marijuana possession.

Ron Jenkins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT

May 5: Former NFL player Sam Rayburn was charged with two felony counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by forgery or fraud.

Getty Images

Ojinnaka was arrested early Wednesday morning on a misdemeanor charge of simple battery resulting from a fight he had with his wife. According to a police report, the fight was over a woman that Ojinnaka had added as a friend on his Facebook account.

Ojinnaka told police he was preparing to watch a basketball game on Tuesday night when his wife confronted him and tried to stab him in the leg with a pen. He is accused of spitting on her and throwing her on some stairs before tossing her out of the house. Ojinnaka's wife did not require any medical attention.

Ojinnaka posted a $2,400 bond and was released from custody after four hours, both of which are pretty deserving penalties. Not just for allegedly spitting on his wife, but for thinking it was a good idea to carry on a public flirtation. How anyone can not know that everything they do online becomes a matter of public record at this point is beyond me, but at some point one of these stories will finally hit home for the remaining holdouts.

Ojinnaka, a fifth-round pick in 2006, played 30 games for the Falcons over the last three years. He made seven starts in 2007, and appeared in eight games during the 2008 season. He's projected to be a backup to starting tackles Sam Baker and Tyson Clabo this season.

A Falcons spokesman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Falcons coach Mike Smith spoke to Ojinnaka, but declined to comment further.