Looks like Shawne Merriman took a shot at love, all right.
And choked and forcibly restrained love from leaving afterward.
Tila Tequila was hospitalized Sunday following an altercation with her boyfriend, who plays and sometimes takes steroids for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Department received a disturbance call from Tila Tequila (real name Tila Nguyen) at 3:45 a.m. She told deputies she had been choked by Shawne Merriman and, when she tried to leave, he physically restrained her.
Tila Tequila signed a complaint accusing the NFL star of battery and false imprisonment. Shawne Merriman remains in custody at San Diego County Jail.
Tequila’s rep declined to discuss her condition, but there was no sign of trouble hours earlier as the two partied at the local hot spot Stingaree.
“Shawne Merriman and Tila Tequila arrived and joined a birthday celebration with friends already going on in the penthouse,” a club rep said.
A CHEAP SHOT AT LOVE: Shawne Merriman was interested in a shot with Tila Tequila … and choking and restraining her against her will when she tried to leave.
“Merriman and Tequila stayed until closing in the early hours of Sunday morning. They seemed in good spirits throughout the evening and were enjoying themselves. There was no indication of any problem between the two of them.”
Some were not even aware they were an item, as Tila has kept a remarkably low profile (for her) about the romance. Unlike, say, Courtenay Semel.
Merriman, 25, has been a bit of a sports and gossip staple over the past few years, notably for his 2006 suspension for the use of performance enhancing substances and having to sit out the entire 2008 season to nurse a knee injury.
You can add assault on a reality TV star to his resume. In fantasy football news, you probably want to drop the San Diego defense now if you own it.
Choose your side!