Denver Broncos release John Boyett after arrest for drunken incident

John Boyett was released by the Denver Broncos on Thursday after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a taxi driver, then attempting to hide from police by covering himself in mulch.

Boyett, 24, a Woodland native and former Napa High School and Oregon standout, was a safety on the Broncos practice squad.

Boyett was allegedly intoxicated at a Denver suburb bar Wednesday night, causing trouble when authorities were called, said Greenwood Village police.

Officers got Boyett a cab and sent him on his way, police said. Shortly after the taxi left, the driver called police to say Boyett assaulted him and took off running.

Boyett tried to hide from officers by covering himself in mulch, police said. As he was being taken into custody, he dropped John Elway’s name, police said. It had no effect.

Once in the squad car, Boyett slammed his head against the window multiple times, spat and told officers he would fight them once released from his cuffs, police said.

The Broncos announced Boyett’s release on the verified team Twitter account.

This is not the first time Boyett has been cut by an NFL team after a run-in with the law.

The Indianapolis Colts released Boyett as a rookie in 2013 after he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, public intoxication and resisting law enforcement, ESPN reported.

Boyett started as a sophomore when Oregon went 12-0 and played Auburn in the BCS title game, losing 22-19 on a last-second field goal. He was All-Pac-10 as a junior the following season, when Oregon won the Rose Bowl, 45-38, over Wisconsin. Boyett had 17 tackles in the game, tied for second-most in a BCS bowl game. He played only one game as a senior, when he decided to undergo surgery on both patellar tendons because of lingering pain from previous injuries.

Staff writer Dan Loumena contributed to this report.

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