Jay Mariotti, National Columnist Arrested

Hey Mariotti...you ain't all that!

Jay Mariotti, national columnist arrested early Saturday morning around 4 am.

Mariotti, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Ohio University is a regular panelist on the ESPN’s talk show Around the Horn. Besides being a regular ESPN personality and popular sports columnist, Mariotti is also writes for a sports website called Fanhouse.com and he formerly wrote a sports column for the Denver Post and the Chicago Sun-Times. Interesting about his arrest is that he is such an outspoken critic of athletes for their actions on and off the field.

Mariotti, arrested this morning in Los Angeles, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department website states he was arrested on felony charges stemming from a domestic violence charge.

L.A. County Sheriff’s Department sources stated that Mariotti allegedly got into an argument with his girlfriend at a club in Santa Monica. They were observed exchanging harsh words just before getting in a car to leave. Mariotti got angry after he believed his girlfriend had been flirting with another man, police sources said.

L.A. County Sheriff’s Department sources further stated that Mariotti and his girlfriends arguing continued at their Venice apartment where it culminated in Mariotti pushing and shoving her. Additionally it is stated that Mariotti also grabbed her arm, leaving marks. When police arrived they found the unidentified girlfriend with cuts and bruises.

Mariotti was eventually released Saturday afternoon after a $50,000 bail was arranged.

Mariotti has not been exempt from controversary over his years in broadcasting and writing. IN August 2008 Mariotti resigned from the Chicago Sun-Times after writing for them 17 years. Along with his resignation, Mariotti blasted the newspaper industry resulting in a public rebuttal from fellow Sun-Times employee and iconic movie critic Roger Ebert who criticized Mariotti’s penchant for writing sensationalist columns during his time at the Chicago Sun-Times.

In 2004, Chicago White Sox broadcaster, ‘the Hawk Ken Harrelson called Marriotti “the biggest sports fraud” stating that Mariotti had never even seen the inside of the White Sox club house. The argument resulted in a altercation in which Mariotti suffered a broken nose. In addition Ozzie Guillen, Chicago White Sox manager referred to Mariotti as a ‘fag’.

This most recent altercation with his girlfriend appears to be only the latest in Mariotti’s penchant for trouble. Mariotti seems to be followed by trouble, or, more likely brings it with him whereever he goes.