Mackensie Alexander, shown in 2018 when he was with the Minnesota Vikings, was jailed Wednesday and charged with misdemeanor battery after deputies say he beat up a man shortly after Alexander returned to Florida to help search for his missing father. Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mackensie Alexander was jailed Wednesday on a charge of misdemeanor battery after deputies say he beat up a man shortly after returning to Florida to help search for his missing father.
Alexander, 26, and another man, 28-year-old Evins Clement, were arrested by Collier County sheriff’s deputies Tuesday night, not long after Alexander arrived back in southwest Florida, where he grew up and his family still lives in the small farming community of Immokalee. Bail for the men was set at $2,000 each at a Wednesday afternoon court hearing, and they were released later that day.
“Mr. Alexander’s only concern is the well-being of his father,” the men’s attorney, Brian Pakett, said. “He wants to find him and find him well.”
Alexander had left Bengals training camp earlier Tuesday to assist the search for his 65-year-old father, Jean Alexandre, a Haitian immigrant who uses a French spelling of the family’s surname. Investigators say Mauricet Etienne told them he, Alexandre and others drove about 80 miles (130 kilometers) to pick palmetto berries in Okeechobee County on Monday.
According to a missing person’s report released Wednesday, Etienne, 56, said that after several hours of picking, he could not find Alexandre and spent three hours searching for him before returning to Immokalee to pick up Alexandre’s wife, Marie. They returned to Okeechobee County, where they searched for another 45 minutes before heading back to Immokalee and calling deputies.
Etienne told deputies he had no ill will toward Alexandre. He agreed he should have called law enforcement when he first discovered Alexandre was missing, but he said he was afraid because he had been previously told by deputies that he did not have permission to pick berries in that area.
The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that they are searching for Alexandre but referred all other questions to Collier County.
According to Alexander’s arrest report, he and Clement had gone to the home of the man he’s accused of assaulting “to discuss a previous incident.” Collier sheriff’s officials declined to say if the man is Etienne, citing a Florida law that shields the names of crime victims. But in a redacted recording of a call, the victim’s son made to deputies from his own home, he said his father’s attackers are angry because they think he is responsible for a man who had gone missing on Monday.
The report says Alexander tried to convince the man to go with them, but he refused, saying he was scared of retaliation. The man told deputies that Alexander then threatened to get a gun from his car. When he still refused to go with them, the victim said Clement grabbed him and Alexander began punching him in the face.
The two fled when they heard sirens approaching but were arrested a short time later.
Deputies said the victim suffered a cut lip and forehead.
“We recognize that this is an emotional and frightening time for the family and friends of Jean Odney Alexandre. However, everyone must act within the law,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Michelle Batten said in a statement.
In 2016, ESPN made a documentary about Alexander and his family, “ Gift from the Groves,” about his life growing up in Immokalee. His parents worked as pickers in the orange, squash and pepper fields for $300 a week combined. When Alexander and his twin bother, Mackenro, turned 10, they also began picking oranges on weekends.
Alexander starred at Immokalee High School, then headed to Clemson, where he starred for two seasons. Selected in the second round of the 2016 draft by the Vikings, Alexander had an up-and-down four seasons with Minnesota, primarily as the No. 3 cornerback, or the nickel position.
Vikings Coach Mike Zimmer did not hold back criticism of Alexander in his early years, but during training camp last season, Zimmer said Alexander had “turned the corner as far as coaching and believing in the system” as well as anyone on the team. Alexander had two interceptions over 55 regular season games with the Vikings.
He signed with the Bengals as a free agent during this past offseason.
WASHINGTON: The Washington Post reported additional examples of workplace sexual harassment inside the Washington Football Team organization, and allegations that owner Dan Snyder was personally involved.
The Post reported a former cheerleader saying Snyder invited her to a hotel room with one of his friends, and that longtime team executive Larry Michael made extra cheerleading videos for the owner showing sensitive material that wasn’t made public. Snyder released a statement denying those specific allegations and saying he was unaware of the incidents until now.
“I want to unequivocally state that this never happened,” Snyder said of the report he invited a cheerleader to a hotel room in 2004. “Furthermore, I do not have any knowledge of the 10-year-old videos referenced in the story. I did not request their creation, and I never saw them.”
After the Post’s first story on the subject ran last month, Snyder vowed a cultural change and opened the organization up to an independent investigation. The latest story cites 25 more women who said they experienced sexual harassment while working for the team. They described a workplace in which male bosses, colleagues and players commented on their bodies and clothing, used sexual innuendos and made unwanted advances.
GIANTS: Second-round draft pick Xavier McKinney is scheduled for surgery after breaking his left foot.
The club also said linebacker David Mayo will need knee surgery.
BEARS: Running back David Montgomery limped off the field at practice after injuring his groin when making a cut on a running play.
Montgomery, a second-year pro who is expected to carry much of the load in the running game, went down in a noncontact drill. Coach Matt Nagy said it was uncertain how severe the injury is.
Copy the Story Link
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
