Jadeveon Clowney addresses his arrest ahead of Cowboys debut

Jadeveon Clowney has opened up about his untimely arrest before making his debut with the Dallas Cowboys.

The former No. 1 overall pick was arrested last Friday due to a parking lot dispute with police that occurred near his aunt’s apartment complex in Rock Hill, S.C. He was arrested and charged with trespassing and failure to identify, which are both misdemeanors.

One week later, Clowney spoke to reporters about the incident. The journeyman linebacker called his brush with police a “big misunderstanding.”

“It was a parking situation and just escalated,” Clowney said, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “If you know anything about South Carolina, where I’m from, you know how that can go left very fast and that kind of went left.”

According to the police report, Clowney allegedly attempted to park in an area that had been closed off due to a nearby football game. The 32-year-old was said to be displaying a “defiant attitude” while talking over a reporting police officer.

The incident happened just days before the Cowboys signed Clowney to a one-year contract worth over $3 million. It remains unclear if Dallas knew about the infraction before agreeing to the pact with Clowney. But the Cowboys have emphasized that the arrest has “no impact” on Jadeveon’s chances of taking the field Sunday against the Chicago Bears.