Chicago Bears player arrested, accused of doing doughnuts with child in back seat

Chicago Bears wide receiver Byron Pringle was arrested over the weekend after he was caught doing doughnuts on a Florida highway on a suspended license with a child in the back seat, authorities said.

Pringle was behind the wheel of an orange Dodge Challenger when he was spotted on State Route 56 near Meadow Pointe Drive in Pasco County, about 30 miles north of downtown Tampa, early Saturday evening, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.

"I observed a large cloud of smoke in the area of the median break," Sgt. Justin Bloom wrote in his arrest report. "I heard the sound of squealing tires and saw the cloud of smoke, which reduced the visibility to nearly zero for traffic on the westbound lanes of State Road 56."

Pringle's Dodge Challenger allegedly emerged from the smoke, showing all the signs of having just done high-speed circles in the roadway.

"I could smell the distinct smell of burnt rubber as I proceeded to turn around in the same median break," Bloom wrote. "I observed a series of tire marks on the roadway consistent with a vehicle performing" a doughnut.

There was another man in the passenger seat "and a male juvenile child in the left rear seat," according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The report did not reveal the child's age or his relationship to either Pringle or the passenger.

Pringle, who recently signed a one-year, $4 million-plus deal with the Bears, initially "ignored my verbal commands" and was "verbally confrontational," according to Bloom.

The 28-year-old player was eventually arrested and booked on charges of reckless driving and driving with a suspended license.

The Bears and his agent could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.

Pringle, a Tampa native, attended Kansas State University and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs.

He was Kansas City's primary kickoff returner this past season while catching 42 passes, good for 568 yards and five touchdowns.