Dante Fowler Apologizes for Altercation That Led to Battery Charge

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler spoke publicly Wednesday for the first time following his July 18 arrest for misdemeanor simple battery and mischief.

"I would like to start off by apologizing to the organization of the Jacksonville Jaguars and also the city of Jacksonville for my actions and for what had gone down," he said, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. "I just wanted to let people know and everybody know that's not me as a person. I'm a better person than that, and it won't happen again."

According to USA Today's Lorenzo Reyes, police in St. Petersburg, Florida, claim Fowler was driving through an apartment complex when he heard a man comment about his driving. A police spokesperson said Fowler hit the man, knocking off his glasses, and then "took the victim's grocery bag, with recently purchased liquor, and threw it in a lake."

The Jaguars posted a statement about Fowler's arrest on Twitter:

The 22-year-old missed all of the 2015 season after suffering a torn ACL. The Jaguars selected him with the third overall pick in the 2015 draft.

Fowler appeared in every game last year, finishing with 32 combined tackles and four sacks.