Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier announced in a statement on Tuesday that they have waived running back Mark Walton after being made aware of another legal incident surrounding the talented but troubled back. Walton was already in the midst of a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, an issue that stemmed from incidents predating his time with the Dolphins. Now, it appears that this latest run-in with the law has cost him yet another job in the NFL.
"We were made aware of a police matter earlier this morning regarding Mark Walton," Grier said in the statement, while announcing his release from the team. "We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously. We will have no further comment at this time."
According to multiple reports, Walton is accused of punching a woman several times in the face and head. Police say the woman is five weeks pregnant with Walton's child. Andy Slater of FOX Sports 640 South Florida was the first to report the specifics of this incident surrounding Walton.
The back originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 out of Miami, but repeated arrests ultimately led to his release. This offseason Walton was arrested three times. The first was due to a marijuana charge in January, the second happened in February where he was charged with a battery misdemeanor, and finally was said to have fled on foot from police, who did find a rifle in the rental car he was in. For that March incident, Walton pled no contest to a misdemeanor weapons charge and was given six months probation.
That trouble outweighed his on-field talent, so the Bengals waived him in early April. He signed on with the Dolphins and did play well, totaling 201 rushing yards to go along with 15 receptions for 89 yards in seven games played for Miami. At the time of his suspension earlier this month, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores noted that he was looking forward to getting Walton back, but this latest incident has cut that relationship short.
Now, Miami will go with Kalen Ballage as their lead back for the foreseeable future, while Walton may have just forced himself out of the NFL for good.