Ted Ginn Jr., the head coach of the UFL’s Columbus Aviators, was arrested in the Dallas–Fort Worth area on charges related to driving while intoxicated a day before the team’s scheduled game.
Ginn posted a $1,000 bond and was released, according to a report citing multiple sources. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley was expected to coach Columbus against the Dallas Renegades on the next day, while the UFL said it was aware of the situation and gathering information.
The arrest put the Aviators in immediate flux because it came on the eve of game day, leaving the team to hand control to Haley for a matchup that had already been set. It was also unclear whether Ginn would face any league-imposed penalties.
Ginn, a former NFL wide receiver before taking the Columbus job, had been in the public eye before for the wrong reason. In 2009, he was present when former teammate Donte Whitner was arrested at a nightclub, though Ginn himself was not charged or accused of wrongdoing in that incident.
For Columbus, the question now is less about a single missed sideline appearance than about what the UFL decides to do with a coach arrested on the doorstep of a game. The league has said little beyond that it is gathering information, and the next move could shape both the team’s short-term plans and Ginn’s standing with the organization.
