Oli Udoh Pleads Not Guilty, Attorney Denies Allegations That Led to Arrest
Brian Bieber, the attorney for Vikings guard Oli Udoh, released a statement on Wednesday denying the allegations that led to Udoh's arrest in Miami on Saturday night.
Udoh allegedly was talking to a woman at nightclub, followed her into the bathroom, and wouldn't leave, according to a report from Andy Slater of FOX Sports 640. He was arrested and charged with two misdemeanors: disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Bieber called that depiction of events "100 percent false" and said the woman involved has confirmed that as well.
"Oli never followed a woman into the restroom and never prevented a woman from going anywhere — and I have personally verified that any allegation to the contrary is 100% false," Bieber said in a statement. "In fact, the woman approached Oli that night and they had a cordial conversation which ended in their exchanging phone numbers. She has since reached out to us and has confirmed the allegations are completely false. Oli committed no crime whatsoever under Florida law, and we look forward to a speedy resolution of this case — one in which he never should have been arrested."
Udoh posted a $500 bond and has pleaded not guilty to the two charges. The case will now go to trial at some point and Udoh has indicated he will participate in discovery, according to the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling.
On Wednesday, Udoh spoke to reporters in the Vikings' locker room and mostly deferred to his attorney's statement, saying he couldn't comment on the ongoing legal matter.
"The truth will come out," Udoh said. "Once the truth comes out, I feel I'll be alright. It's unfortunate that the team has to see this, but like I said, once the truth comes out, I'm confident my role will be the exact same as it was."
Udoh said he was "pretty shook" by how things went down with his arrest. He has spoken to Vikings leadership multiple times to explain his side of the story and heard from several teammates after the news came out, which made him feel better. For now, Udoh is back to work like normal, participating in practice ahead of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Udoh called him on Sunday morning and was open about what happened. O'Connell is confident that things will work out.
"Oli called me immediately Sunday morning and we had a dialogue throughout the day," O'Connell said. "He’s been very honest and open, not only about the situation but some disappointment for forcing us to get that phone call and him having to make that phone call.
"But the person and the player that I’ve learned and gotten to know very well, I have a lot of confidence that as we let this process play out — I know Oli released a statement with his attorney today, and we’ll continue to let that play out, but I have a lot of confidence in Oli the person, the human, the teammate that he is in this building, that things will positively play out for Oli."
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
