NFL player charged with battery on wife in Ocala

A local National Football League player was arrested by Ocala police Tuesday and charged with battery of his wife.

Police say Clinton G. Hart, 32, scuffled with his wife Kelli, 31, over a message posted to his Facebook account.

Kelli Hart said her husband never touched or threatened her, and that the arrest was a result of police stereotyping and racism.

Hart, a safety, played several years in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers and, last year, the St. Louis Rams.

Hart currently is not signed to a team but is hoping he will be. In Ocala, he owns The Brick House, a full-service beauty salon.

Officer Matt H. Friedman went to Kelli Hart's business in northeast Ocala after her husband called authorities.

According to his report, this is what happened:

She told the officer that her husband was using a computer to look at his Facebook account and that he left the building, leaving the account open, and leaving behind his cellphone.

Kelli Hart said she took the phone and put it in her right rear jeans pocket, and that the Facebook page was left open.

Realizing he left his phone inside and his Facebook page open, Clinton Hart attempted to re-enter the business, but was prevented from doing so by his wife.

The two struggled, and Clinton Hart reportedly grabbed his wife's rear pocket, tearing it to retrieve his phone. During the struggle, she was hit in the lower lip.