Ex-NFL linebacker Anthony Chickillo was tased by police at a Florida hospital after an alleged mental breakdown, according to TMZ.
Chickillo, 30, was at Hialeah Hospital in Hialeah, Fla. Thursday morning and began “trashing” an office, according to the report.
He also reportedly tried to attack others and got into a physical altercation with his father before bystanders called police, who tased him in order to subdue him.
His girlfriend, Tatu Baby, later told TMZ that the situation was caused by Chickillo’s bipolar disorder, which she claims dates back to a concussion suffered when he played football.
In video obtained by the outlet, Chickillo can be seen shirtless and barefoot while being handcuffed, though he was reportedly not arrested and is not facing any charges by anybody at the doctor’s office.
He was instead placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold.
Chickillo played six seasons in the NFL, the first five of which came with the Steelers before a one-year stint with the Broncos.
Pittsburgh drafted Chickillo in the sixth round of the 2015 draft out of the University of Miami.
He recorded 108 total tackles, 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles across his career.
In four seasons at Miami, Chickillo recorded 171 total tackles, 14.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
In 2019, Chickillo was arrested on an assault charge for an alleged physical altercation with his girlfriend, Canadian track and field Olympian Alysha Newman, at the time, though the charges were later dropped after she refused to testify against him.
Both Chickillo’s father, Tony, and grandfather, Nick, played at Miami and the NFL.
Tony Chickillo, who can be seen in the obtained video of Thursday’s incident, played three seasons in the NFL — two with the Chargers and one with the Jets.
Nick Chickillo played one season in the NFL for the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals).
Anthony Chickillo retired from the NFL in 2021.
“My whole life my dream was to go to the University of Miami and play in the NFL,” he captioned an Instagram post at the time. “I am so grateful for the opportunity and thankful for every one of the teams that gave me a shot. The game of football is apart of my family and will always be forever. Thank you for the support everyone!”
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