The battery case against Mark Walton has been dropped. According to TMZ, prosecutors have dropped the aggravated battery charge stemming from an alleged incident in Florida with Walton’s pregnant girlfriend. Walton, 23, played for the Miami Dolphins last year. The team released him in November for his alleged incident.
“The case was dismissed,” Walton’s attorney, Michael A. Gottlieb, said to TMZ. “The only thing I’m going to say is after months of talking with prosecutors; this was the most appropriate way to resolve this case.” Walton was facing 15 years in prison after allegedly attacking his girlfriend around 4 a.m. in November 2019. When police arrived, the woman told officers Walton pushed her against the wall and punched her in the face and head several times. One officer reported the woman had a swelling on her left eye. When the Dolphins learned the news about Walton, the team cut him.
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“We were made aware of a police matter earlier this morning regarding Mark Walton,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in a statement. We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously. We will have no further comment at this time.
Walton started his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. The team drafted Walton in the fourth round in 2018 after spending three seasons at the University of Miami. Walton is a running back, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared him to James White, running back for the New England Patriots.
“Walton is a fluid combo back with the ability to compete for committee carries and third-down snaps,” Zierlein wrote in his scouting report of Walton. “His 2016 tape gives a better indication of his quickness since he was nursing an ankle injury for much of the time he played this year. His indecisiveness as an interior runner should be taken into account when offensive coordinators decide to use him. Walton has the ability to become a solid backup who can handle a heavier touch load over smaller stretches if needed.”
In Walton’s rookie season, he rushed for 34 yards on 14 carries. The Bengals cut Walton in April 2019 after police arrested him for the third time in the offseason. He signed with the Dolphins in May and finished the 2019 season with 201 yards on 53 carries in seven games.
