Ben Cleveland’s NFL run took another hit this week, with the Los Angeles Chargers moving on from the guard just weeks after his latest arrest in Georgia.
Cleveland, 27, was arrested in Oconee County on misdemeanor charges tied to speeding and an alleged violation of the conditions attached to a limited driving permit. Oconee County Sheriff records show he was booked into county jail at around 10 a.m. on July 16 and released less than two hours later.
The Chargers had given the 6ft 6ins lineman a chance in January, but he never got onto the field for Jim Harbaugh’s team. Now, early in training camp, that opportunity is gone.
Before landing in Los Angeles, Cleveland spent all five of his NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. That run ended on January 1, when Baltimore released him after he had been suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
That suspension, handed down on December 8, came amid a stretch of off-field trouble that also included a DUI arrest and a divorce that turned messy fast.
Cleveland filed to divorce Kaitlyn Terrell Cleveland on February 28, 2025, in Baldwin County, Georgia. According to TMZ, he filed the divorce “because of adultery”, but she quickly pushed back, saying the claims were “knowingly false”, made in “bad faith” and “vehemently” denying them.
Terrell Cleveland also said she hoped the two could reach an agreement to settle all “matters and controversies” connected to the split.
That filing came just two weeks after Cleveland was arrested for driving under the influence. Police said the 360-pound lineman was driving his truck over the legal limit in Milledgeville, Georgia, on February 12. He was reportedly cited for DUI and failure to maintain lane.
It’s claimed Cleveland told the officers who stopped him that he had drunk “approximately 3-4 beers” at a country club before getting behind the wheel.
Cleveland was selected by the Ravens in the third round of the 2021 draft.
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