Former Florida Gators star RB Chris Rainey arrested, released by Pittsburgh Steelers

FloridaGamedayr | January 10, 2013 at 4:08 pm | 2 Comments

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Chris Rainey (22) returns a kick-off against the San Diego Chargers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The San Diego Chargers won 34-24. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

Back in Gainesville following his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, running back Chris Rainey was arrested on domestic battery charges. Witnesses told police that he slapped his girlfriend of nine months in the face with an open palm.

In the city where he made a name for himself as a star running back for the Florida Gators, Rainey was forced to stay in jail following the incident, which resulted from an argument over his cell phone, according to Michael DiRocco of GatorNation.

Witnesses called police to Rainey’s apartment at 8:26 am after the football player had pulled the woman out of a car and slapped her so hard she fell to the ground.

Police officially charged Rainey with first degree battery, a simple misdemeanor.

However, his future in a NFL is no longer quite so simple.

On Thursday morning, the Steelers announced that they had waved Rainey following his arrest, according to Sports Illustrated. Utilized mostly as a kickoff returner, Rainey appeared in all 16 games for Pittsburgh after being selected in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He ran for 102 yards and two scores, caught 14 passes for 60 yards and returned 39 kickoffs for 10,35 yards.

Rainey finished his career at Florida as the ninth-leading rusher in school history with 2,464 yards.

His agent, Joel Segal, has yet to comment on his client’s arrest and subsequent release from the Steelers.