Alonzo Spellman Alonzo Robert Spellman ( born September 27 , 1971 in Mount Holly Township , New Jersey ) is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League who played for the Chicago Bears , Dallas Cowboys , and the Detroit Lions . He also played in the Arena Football League for the Las Vegas Gladiators , and has participated in mixed martial arts . High school career . While attending Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly Township , New Jersey , Spellman starred in both football and basketball . Spellman stood tall and weighed approximately . As a senior , in football , he won " USA Today " All - America honors and was named the New Jersey Player of the Year . College career . Spellman was a three year starter and team captain at Ohio State University . NFL career . Spellman was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round ( 22nd overall ) of the 1992 NFL Draft and was one of the youngest defensive lineman ever selected , at 20 years old . He started all but one game in his first five seasons in the league , recording a total of 30 sacks . Spellman injured his shoulder in 1997 and after some off - field incidents , he was cut by the Bears . He did not play during the 1998 season . In 1999 , he was signed by the Cowboys and played with them for two seasons , finishing his career with the Lions in 2001 . Post - NFL career . After a few years off from football , Spellman attempted to make a comeback but was unable to land a job with an NFL team . He ended up signing with the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League . Spellman recorded one sack in his first season with the Gladiators . Spellman made his mixed martial arts debut on November 11 , 2006 , defeating Antoine Hayes by unanimous decision . The fight was part of XFO 13 , " Operation Beatdown " , and took place at the Sears Centre in Chicago , Illinois . Struggles with bipolar disorder . Spellman exhibited erratic behavior during his time with the Bears . The first public incident occurred in March 1998 when Spellman became enraged when a doctor was late for an appointment . He pulled a telephone off of a wall and threatened suicide . Complicating matters , Spellman had access to alcohol and a firearm and by this time weighed approximately 300 lbs ( 136 kg ) . Authorities were called in , and friend and former teammate Mike Singletary persuaded Spellman to check into a hospital . Spellman shortly left the hospital of his own accord . Spellman was diagnosed with bipolar disorder , but refused to take medication , instead becoming increasingly reliant on illicit drugs and alcohol . This led to even more erratic behavior and run - ins with the law . These problems , along with his refusal to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his injured shoulder led to Spellman ' s release by the Bears . Spellman started taking medication and successfully managed his disorder during his time with the Cowboys and Lions . However , after his NFL career ended , Spellman stopped taking his medication and again ran into problems with the law . Most notably , he had a manic episode on July 23 , 2002 in which he disrupted a flight from Cincinnati to Philadelphia . Spellman initially suggested that the flight was going to crash , then became verbally abusive to other passengers and threatened members of the flight crew . The plane was forced to make an emergency landing . Spellman was released , but then damaged property at his brother ' s home and was taken to a psychiatric hospital . He was later arrested on charges of interference with a flight crew . Although doctors confirmed that he had bipolar disorder , Spellman was determined to be legally sane and spent 18 months in federal prison . In interviews with ESPN , Spellman has said he now knows how important it is to take the medication for his disorder . He had hoped to return to the NFL , but his age and history presented significant barriers to a comeback . He is now " 100 percent into " mixed martial arts . Spellman was arrested again on January 29 , 2008 after leading authorities on a pursuit after being involved in an apparent altercation at a Tulsa , Oklahoma convenience store . The chase ended after three of the tires on Spellman ' s car were deflated by spike strip s and pepper - spray pellets were fired after Spellman refused to get out of the vehicle . In June 2012 , Spellman was released from prison after pleading no contest to ten counts of eluding police officers on the 2008 charge .