Dolphins’ TE Randy McMichael charged with assaulting wife

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Miami Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael was arrested Tuesday for allegedly hitting his pregnant wife.

McMichael was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman, a second-degree felony that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Broward County sheriff’s officials said. He was in Broward County Jail without bond Tuesday.

His wife, Cawanna McMichael, also was arrested on a domestic battery charge stemming from the early Tuesday morning fight at their home. She was in the county’s North Broward jail.

Both of them were scheduled for bond hearings Wednesday morning.

“We are certainly aware of the seriousness of this matter and we don’t condone the types of actions which have been alleged to have occurred,” Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement. “However, we will withhold any comment on this specific situation until the judicial process has run its course.”

Randy McMichael’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined comment.

The 6-foot-3, 247-pound McMichael has caught 88 passes for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns in two seasons with the Dolphins.

McMichael, who celebrated his 25th birthday Monday, told sheriff’s investigators he had been out drinking with friends, according to a probable cause affidavit. After arriving home, he became ill in a downstairs bathroom when his wife came in and began yelling at him, according to the report.

He told investigators Cawanna McMichael “hit him across the head with her hand,” and his wife fell to the ground when he pushed her.

Cawanna McMichael, though, said her husband grabbed her right arm and hit her several times. She was taken to a hospital for evaluation, then transported to the jail for booking, officials said.

It was unknown if either of them has an attorney.

AP-ES-06-29-04 1624EDT