TMZ releases video of ex-MSU star Malik McDowell in scuffle with police

The Detroit News

The Seattle Seahawks sued former Michigan State standout Malik McDowell, accusing him to repay a portion of his signing bonus.

Tabloid news website and TV show TMZ Tuesday released video of the confrontation between troubled NFL hopeful Malik McDowell and Lathrup Village police.

The former Michigan State standout is seen tussling with police officers after they stopped him on suspicion of drunken driving in February and tried to arrest him.

Editor's note: Strong language, some violence

During the incident, McDowell confronted one of the officers inside a gas station, refused to hand over his license and grabbed his wrists and put his hand on the officer’s gun, according to a police report.

More: Ex-MSU star Malik McDowell charged in scuffle with cops, truck theft

The officer fires his Taser at McDowell, which does not appear to faze the football player. Other officers eventually help handcuff McDowell in the gas station.

McDowell is charged with assault/resisting arrest, a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and fines, and operating while intoxicated. The latter offense is a 93-day misdemeanor, but since McDowell has a February 2018 drunken driving conviction out of Royal Oak, he could receive an enhanced combined sentence of fine, jail time and community service.

The other charge against McDowell, receiving and concealing stolen property, stems from an investigation of pickup thefts from a Ford Motor Co. overflow lot in Dearborn.

The trucks were equipped with GPS devices, one of which led officers with the Oakland County sheriff's auto theft unit to a closed garage at McDowell’s Southfield address.

McDowell told police he did not know the truck was stolen and had purchased it for $3,000 from a man on Linwood in Detroit. He didn’t know the man’s name, according to police.

If convicted of the truck offense, McDowell could receive a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

In May, the Seattle Seahawks sued McDowell in federal court, claiming he failed to pay back $799,238 as ordered by an arbitrator after McDowell suffered a head injury in an ATV accident in July 2017. The injury kept him from playing a single snap in the NFL after being drafted in the second round in 2017.

McDowell came to Michigan State from Southfield High as a heralded five-star recruit who was ranked the No. 26 player in the nation by Rivals.com. The Detroit native was named first-team All-Big Ten by the Associated Press and earned second-team honors from the league’s coaches and media for this third and final season with the Spartans in 2016.