Former Dolphins Star Mark Duper Allegedly Beat The Shit Out Of His Teenage Son

Mark Duper, the best non-Mark-Clayton receiver of the Dan Marino era, was charged yesterday with a felony count of child abuse. He is accused of twice knocking out his 17-year-old son, in a drawn-out brawl that sounds like Roddy Piper's big fight in They Live.

According to the arrest report, the fight started Tuesday over the son sending threatening text messages to a girl. We'll let the police account, via the Miami Herald, give the blow-by-blow.

An argument with Duper ensued over an ex-girlfriend, leading Duper to punch the boy in the face because the teen “wouldn’t listen about picking up his hat.”

Then, police say, Duper picked the teen up several times and slammed him, briefly knocking him out cold. After calming down a bit, the fight escalated again, with Duper accused of hitting the child in the head and face with his fist.

At one point, the boy went outside and threw his bike into Duper’s car, denting it. That only enraged the former Pro Bowl wide receiver more. Duper then punched the boy in the face, causing him to fall off the bike.

“Once [the victim] went to the ground on his stomach,” the police report stated, “Mark climbed on top of [him], grabbed [him] by the neck and began choking.”

It's the third time Duper has been arrested in domestic violence cases since 2003. But this one, says friend and former teammate Hugh Green, who witnessed the fight, Duper isn't to blame. "I saw Mark defending himself after a young son was defiant," Green told the AP.

Duper refused to discuss the incident, calling it "a family matter." After spending the night in jail, Duper was released yesterday upon posting $5,000 bail.

[ Miami Herald]