David J. Neal, Omar Rodríguez Ortiz
Mon, October 24, 2022 at 4:22 PM
A 6-foot-6, 320-pound NFL player was arrested early Saturday at a famous downtown Miami nightclub after, an arrest report said, a witness told police the man didn’t want to leave the women’s restroom.
Olisaemeka “Oli” Udoh, a Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman, was taken into custody at the E11EVEN nightclub, 29 NE 11th St., around 3 a.m. Saturday, according to the arrest affidavit. The 25-year-old was arrested on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest without violence and disorderly conduct.
Udoh’s arrest was first reported Sunday morning by FoxSports 640AM sports radio host Andy Slater.
The disorderly conduct charge stems from a security guard’s account that Udoh went into the women’s restroom to continue the conversation he was having with a woman who was standing in the line to use the restroom. When Udoh refused several times, the guard told Miami police, the security staff physically insisted Udoh leave the restroom and the club.
The report said two Miami police officers dealing with a different situation outside the club saw a side door open and Udoh resisting ejection from the club. The officers took over, the report says, and Udoh “continued to forcefully stop himself from walking, making it difficult for officers to escort him safely.”
Eventually, Udoh — whose full name means “God is good,” according to the Vikings’ team website — was put in a police cruiser and taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He was released by Sunday morning.
Neither spokespeople for E11EVEN nor the Vikings immediately responded to Miami Herald’s request for comment.
Udoh is in his fourth year with the Vikings after being selected by the team in the sixth found of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Elon University. He became a starter in 2021, starting 16 of 17 games, but hasn’t started in any of the Vikings games so far this season. Though listed on the roster as a guard, he’s on the current depth chart as a backup at right tackle.
The Vikings are coming off a bye week after beating the Miami Dolphins 24-16 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Oct. 16.