Former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly trying to hit his wife and another person with a vehicle early Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.
Barker, 49, was held for 12 hours in Davidson County Jail because the incident involved his wife, country music singer Sara Evans, making it domestic in nature. He was released from jail after posting $10,000 bond.
Evans, whose legal name is Sara Barker, filed for divorce in August and cited irreconcilable differences and "inappropriate marital conduct." The couple was married in 2008. Evans is currently living apart from Jay Barker.
Jay Barker, who guided Alabama to the 1992 national title, finished his career with a 35-2-1 record as a starter. He finished fifth in the 1994 Heisman Trophy balloting.
According to reports, Evans was leaving a party around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and hitched a ride from a friend. When they pulled their car into a driveway of a nearby home, Barker allegedly put his vehicle in reverse at a high rate of speed and tried to hit their car but missed.
Police were called after Barker drove away. He later returned to the scene and drove by the house and police stopped him and subsequently arrested him.
Barker, who is due in court on March 22, released a statement on the Instagram account of his radio show saying he was "beyond humbled by the words of support I have received from friends, supporters and so many in the Alabama family."
"Unfortunately, headlines and quick-to-publish news stories do not adequately capture the full context and complex fabric of our lives," he added.
Evans has three children from a previous marriage. She did not have children with Barker.
Barker was the quarterback when Alabama famously routed No. 1 Miami 34-13 in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1993 to win the 1992 national title. He passed for just 18 yards and was 4 of 13 with two interceptions.
Barker ranks eighth in Alabama history with 5,689 passing yards from 1991-94. He was a fifth-round draft choice by the Green Bay Packers in 1995 but never played in an NFL game. He later spent three seasons (1998-2000) with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and one (2001) with the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL.
Barker is currently a sports-talk radio host in Birmingham.
Evans, 50, has enjoyed a long career in Nashville. She released her first studio album in 1997 and won Top Female Vocalist honors in 2006 from the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Newsmax staff contributed.
© 2023 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.