Former baseball player Johnny Damon was arrested on charges of drunk driving. He accused cops of targeting him because of his Trump support.
- Former MLB player Johnny Damon was arrested on a DUI charge on February 19.
- Footage of the incident shows he suggested the arrest happened because he supported Trump.
- Damon served as a member of Trump's council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition.
New body-cam footage of Johnny Damon's arrest in Florida last month revealed that the former MLB player suggested he was being treated unfairly because of his vocal support for Donald Trump.
Damon and his wife were pulled over in Windermere, Florida, at about 1:23 a.m. on February 19, after cops said they saw him swerving on the road and driving erratically. Damon was arrested on charges of a DUI and resisting arrest without violence.
Now, WKNG News 6 in Orlando has released a new video showing Damon's remarks about his support for Trump during his arrest. The video also shows Damon saying "blue lives matter" to the police officer apprehending him.
"Hey, bro, I'm a good f---ing guy. I know people are trying to target me because I'm a Trump supporter," Damon tells a police officer in the video. The officer said Damon's support for Trump had nothing to do with the arrest, to which Damon responded, "Yeah ... it does."
According to WESH in Orlando, police reported that Damon had a blood-alcohol content of 0.30% - more than triple the legal limit in Florida. Police arrested Damon's wife, Michelle Mangan-Damon, on a charge of battery on a law-enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.
The footage shows that Damon slurred his words, questioned what was happening multiple times, and failed to follow officers' commands. Damon had brought up his support for Trump early in the encounter, then later proclaimed "blue lives matter" while being handcuffed.
Damon played for seven teams during his 17-year MLB career, including the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. He was a vocal Trump supporter during Trump's initial presidential bid in 2016 and initially endorsed Trump for president in March 2016, according to The New York Daily News. Trump appointed Damon to serve on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
"I'm a Trump fan ever since I met him seven or eight years ago," Damon told the Daily News in 2016. "Everything he does, he does first class - his hotels, his businesses, his golf courses. The issues all the other politicians failed to discuss, [Trump] is bringing us up to speed."
Damon even defended Trump's actions during his presidency on another occasion as well. This includes an incident after an appearance on "Dancing With The Stars in May" of 2018 when Damon told Caroline Glines of Fox News that Trump wasn't getting enough credit during his presidency.
"Donald's getting stuff done, and hopefully, everyone lets him to get to work. Let's take care of the issues we have facing our country instead of continuing to fight him," Damon said. "Everyone's trying to bash what he's trying to do, and I love what he's doing."
Damon also appeared on Trump's reality-TV show "Celebrity Apprentice" as a contestant in 2014.