JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler spoke publicly Wednesday for the first time since his arrest in a parking lot altercation that landed him in jail in St. Petersburg.
"First, I'd like to apologize to the team and city of Jacksonville for my actions. It won't happen again," Fowler said on the day that Jaguars veterans reported for training camp. "It was an incident that I've learned from. I just have to realize the situation that I'm in and what's at stake. I have to be better."
Fowler, 22, was taken into custody about 9 p.m., booked into the Pinellas County jail and then released about five hours later after posting $650 bond in cash, jail records show.
St. Petersburg police said a witness reported seeing Fowler punch another man after a brief argument. The victim was not visibly injured.
Police said that Fowler was driving through the parking lot of the Trellis at the Lakes apartment complex when the victim complained about Fowler's driving, and things escalated when Fowler got out of his vehicle.
A witness told police that Fowler stomped on the victim's glasses after punching him, then threw a bag of groceries with recently purchased liquor into a nearby lake.
"I could've taken the right approach but I took the wrong one and it won't happen again," Fowler said on Wednesday.
Fowler's Jaguars teammates rallied around the third-year pro as well on Wednesday.
"When Dante's here, he's done everything we've asked him to do," said veteran linebacker Paul Posluszny who will have a locker right next to Fowler this season. "We have to be here to support him. We just want to help him. We know that Fowler is a tremendous athlete. We have to do everything we can to help him be the best guy he can be."
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Tight end Marcedes Lewis, the longest tenured player on the Jaguars roster, said that he sees potential in Fowler, but believes that he needs to be shown the right way to approach the job of being a professional.
"Dante has is own things that he's going through. If he's open to accepting constructive criticism. I know he wants to be great," Lewis said. "You can tell he's one of those guys that you can tell wants help and direction, but maybe doesn't know how to go about it."
While the Jaguars have not decided on any discipline for Fowler, head coach Doug Marrone hinted that what the team decides to do may not include a public declaration.
"We handle things internally. You guys know as much information as I do. We're disappointed as an organization," Marrone said. "When we get all the information, we'll make a decision on Fowler as far as discipline."