Former Bears quarterback Erik Kramer was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of felony domestic violence against a spouse or cohabitant in the Southern California city of Agoura Hills, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department confirmed Friday afternoon.
Officers granted an emergency protective order to the victim, which is standard.
Kramer, 53, was arrested about 11 a.m. and released on $50,000 bond in the early afternoon. Additional details weren’t immediately available, though TMZ reported Friday evening that Cortney Baird, Kramer’s wife, filed for divorce from him Friday.
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Kramer started 46 games for the Bears from 1994 to 1998, leading the team to a 9-7 record in his second season. Starting all 16 games in 1995, he threw for career highs of 3,838 yards and 29 touchdowns.
First signed as an undrafted free agent by the Falcons in 1987, the North Carolina State alum played for one season before leaving for the Canadian Football League. He returned in 1991, playing for the Lions for three years. After his Bears stint, he joined the Chargers for one season in 1999.
Kramer’s post-NFL days have been marked by tragedy. His 18-year-old son, Griffen, was found dead of a heroin overdose in 2011. On Aug. 15, 2015, Kramer attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head, requiring surgeries and rehabilitation after the bullet passed through his chin, tongue, sinus cavities and the top of his skull.
