HARRISBURG -- Former Detroit Lions cornerback Aaron Berry says he is 'embarrassed' by his recent arrests and will enter the NFL's substance abuse program, according to his agent.
Berry has been arrested twice in the last month; the first time on June 23 for DUI and the second came this past weekend when Harrisburg Police charged him with three counts of simple assault for brandishing a weapon.
The Lions terminated his contract on Monday.
"Words cannot describe how embarrassed I am right now," Berry said in a statement released by his agent, Audie Attar of Paradigm Sports Management. "I've let my family, my teammates, my coaches and the entire Detroit Lions organization, including the fans down and I'm so sorry."
"Aaron is heading to Chicago tomorrow to enter the NFL's substance abuse program where he will meet with a team of physicians," said Attar in a statement. "He will continue with a similar program in California to ensure he is learning more about himself. I am confident Aaron will be playing in the NFL this season, he is a 24-year -old young man who is one of the better cover corners in the league. Aaron will be training in Newport Beach, California where he will continue to prepare for the upcoming season."
Berry was signed by the Lions as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh in 2010. He is graduate of Bishop McDevitt High School.
"Aaron's legal issues here are certainly very upsetting, however they will be fairly resolved in the Courts, once all the true facts are known," added attorney Corky Goldstein in a statement. "More importantly, these have served as a wake-up call to Aaron himself and he will come out of this a much more mature and stronger young man, who everyone knows from his past, has tremendous athletic skills and is a truly good and kind person. I am hopeful that all reasonable and fair-minded people will reserve judgment until all the facts have been determined. Then, I know good people will just not allow these recent isolated incidents, in an otherwise spotless life to date, to define this hard-working young man with a great football future. Most all of us make very dumb mistakes in our lives, but the true test, is how we learn from them. Knowing Aaron, he will soon again make us all proud of him. Everyone I know is very supportive of him at this difficult time, as he has earned their highest respect over the years."
"I know it sounds crazy to some people, but I know I will continue to get better and grow from this unfortunate experience, I have no choice but to get better," continued Berry. "There are always two sides to every story and the legal process will be where I will tell my side regarding this recent incident. I love the game of football and still feel I have a bright future ahead of me. I worked my butt off this off-season and I hope to be able to help some team in the NFL win games as I continue to grow as a father, friend, teammate and into the man I want to be. I want to thank Coach Schwartz, Coach Cunningham, Martin Mayhew and all the Lions staff, players and fan base for such a wonderful opportunity where I was able to showcase my football skills. Again, I'm so sorry for letting you all down."
