NFL receiver, Tampa native Byron Pringle arrested in Pasco

Bears receiver and Robinson High alumnus Byron Pringle was arrested Saturday in Wesley Chapel and faces misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and driving with a suspended license, according to Pasco County court records.

Pringle, 28, appeared to have been doing a doughnut on a road in a 2016 Dodge Challenger with a child and an adult male passenger in the car, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing a Florida Highway Patrol report. An officer pulled Pringle over. A check on Pringle’s license revealed it was suspended in February for “financial responsibility,” the report said.

Hillsborough County court records show that as of February, Pringle had not paid a citation for running a red light in Tampa two months earlier.

Pringle then ignored an officer’s command to leave the car and “became verbally confrontational,” the report said.

Pringle signed with the Bears last month after spending four seasons with the Chiefs, where he won a Super Bowl and appeared in another, the loss to the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium.

A Bears spokesman told the Tribune the team was aware of the arrest but didn’t have further comment.

In 46 career games, Pringle has caught 67 passes for 898 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s also a valuable special-teams contributor with 37 kickoff returns for 986 yards and another score.

Pringle had off-the-field problems at Robinson. He was arrested in August 2019 and faced seven felony charges in an alleged spree that included accusations of car burglaries, armed robbery and firing a BB gun at pedestrians. Pringle admitted to firing a BB gun and was sentenced to four years of probation.

Contact Matt Baker at mbaker@tampabay.com. Follow @MBakerTBTimes.

• • •

Sign up for the Bucs RedZone newsletter to get updates and analysis on the latest team and NFL news from Bucs beat writer Joey Knight.

Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.