NFL: Bills assistant coach Kromer charged with battery

Florida

Buffalo Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer was arrested early Sunday in Florida and charged with battery in the latest off-field violent incident involving NFL personnel.

Authorities at the Walton County Sheriff's Office in northwest Florida said Kromer, 48, faces a misdemeanor charge of battery intent to cause bodily harm after a physical altercation with a neighbor's son and two other boys.

Kromer and his son allegedly confronted three boys in a dispute over beach chairs. Kromer allegedly pushed one of the boys to the ground and punched him in the face and told the boys to return the chairs to their original location.

A police statement on the incident said the victim was told by Kromer that if the boy reported him to the police that Kromer would kill the boy's family.

"We are aware of the report and in the process of gathering the facts," the Bills said in a statement.

NFL players were involved in notable domestic violence cases last year, including former Baltimore running back Ray Rice and Minnesota rusher Adrian Peterson, and the league toughened the punishments for domestic violence in the wake of those incidents.

Kromer joined the staff of new Bills coach Rex Ryan after two seasons as offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. But Kromer took heat from within the club last season after admitting he made critical remarks regarding Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

Kromer's previous coaching stops between 2001 and 2012 included time on NFL staffs at Oakland, Tampa Bay and New Orleans.