Hugh Douglas Downward Spiral Continues... Allegedly...

((HT: WFSB-TV))

Former NFL'er and four-letter analyst Hugh Douglas appeared in Hartford Superior Court after he was arrested in downtown Hartford after police said he violently attacked a woman at a hotel.

According to court documents, Douglas grabbed his female victim and "slammed her into the walls several times." The court papers go on to say that Douglas told police the victim's injuries happened during "rough sex."

Douglas was charged with third-degree assault and second-degree strangulation. His next court appearance is October 21st.

He was fired by ESPN close to six weeks ago from his gig after calling Michael Smith an "Uncle Tom" and threatened to beat him up while the two were attending the National Association of Black Journalists convention. At an after party in Orlando, he told Smith that he would beat him up on three separate occasions.

Here's a sample of Douglas' work at ESPN


Kelly Glista over at the Hartford Courant has a little more detail:

He was released on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 21.

Security at the hotel called police after Douglas' girlfriend went to the hotel clerk and asked if there were cameras in the hotel, saying she had been assaulted, (Hartford Major Crimes Unit Sergeant Glendaly) Garcia said. The hotel staff noticed red marks on her neck, said Garcia.

This doesn't look good...

The Spiral Continues: ESPN Asks Hugh Douglas To Leave

((ht: sportsillustrated.com))

Well, that experiment didn't last very long.

It appears ESPN has fired football analyst and former Philadelphia Eagle Hugh Douglas on the heels of a loud and public argument between Douglas and his now former "Numbers Never Lie" co-host Michael Smith at the NABJ convention in Orlando just over a weeks ago.

There were various reports of what was said, most saying Douglas used some unpleasant language in the dispute.

The Numbers Never Lie show is one of many ESPN shows struggling in the ratings. Several reports say July TV ratings were down 8% and for the year they are down considerably.

Add that to the impending arrival of FOX Sports 1 and NBC and CBS pushing their own Sports Networks and suddenly some cracks in the once impenetrable ESPN armor are beginning to appear.

As for Douglas, nobody is sure what the future holds, though he appears to have released a Tweet saying he will address what happened in the future at the appropriate time.