PUT-IN-BAY — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver and Central Catholic alumnus Jermiah Braswell, of Toledo, was charged with drunken driving in Put-in-Bay about 6:30 p.m. Saturday night, authorities said.
Officers responding to a report that a vehicle had driven off Put-in-Bay Township’s Conlan Road on South Bass Island and into Lake Erie found Mr. Braswell still in the driver’s seat trying to drive the orange Chevrolet Camaro forward, according to a Put-in-Bay police news release.
Witnesses said the Camaro was traveling at a high speed went it left the roadway, traversed a grassy area, and then flew over an embankment into the lake.
According to police, Mr. Braswell told officers he was “stuck,” his speech was slurred, and he didn’t know how his Camaro ended up in the water.
Police performed a field sobriety test on Mr. Braswell, after which he was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. A portable breath test showed Mr. Braswell’s blood alcohol content exceeded Ohio’s legal limit, and he declined a chemical test to determine his BAC.
There were no other passengers in the vehicle, and no bystanders were injured in the incident.
Mr. Braswell did not respond to messages left from The Blade requesting comment on Sunday.
In April, Mr. Braswell announced via Twitter that he signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent following the NFL draft. The team did not respond to The Blade’s requests for comment on Sunday.
The 6-foot, 210-pound wide receiver spent five seasons at Youngstown State University of the FCS-level Missouri Valley Football Conference, redshirting as a freshman in 2015. In 40 career games for the Penguins, who traditionally operate a run-heavy offense, he caught 51 passes for 986 yards and 11 touchdowns. Mr. Braswell played in 10 games in 2019, catching 24 passes for 515 yards (21.5 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns.
He also was a part of two state championship-winning teams at Central Catholic in 2012, in Division II, and then in 2014 — the team that defeated The Plains Athens 56-52 in the Division III state championship game.
As of Sunday evening, Mr. Braswell is still listed on the Cardinals’ roster.
First Published June 28, 2020, 1:30 p.m.
