Police arrested former Miami Hurricanes player Mark Pope on Thursday on accusations of armed robbery and other offenses after he allegedly pistol-whipped a woman, according to an arrest report.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrested Pope, 27, after a woman reported to investigators that he had pistol-whipped her and then taken her cell phone after an altercation inside her car.
Local 10 News and NBC Miami report Mark Pope and the woman were acquainted through their neighborhood, according to police, and they had just reconnected over social media. According to the police report, the two met on Thursday at a park on Southwest 218th Street in the Goulds section of the county for “personal reasons.”
According to the complaint, the woman told authorities that after she arrived at the meeting spot, Mark Pope got into her car and they started arguing. Pope then allegedly drew a revolver during the altercation, “hit the woman in the face with it, and forcibly snatched her cellular phone from her hand.” Investigators say the woman then exited the car and ran to a nearby gas station, where she dialed 911.
Shortly after, the former Miami Hurricanes star was located, arrested, and booked into Miami-Dade’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. The woman identified him through a photo, and Pope confessed, according to deputies, but his confession was redacted in his publicly available arrest report.
Pope, who reportedly grew up in Hialeah and attended Miami Southridge High School, was charged with one count of armed robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon and one count of aggravated battery.
Mark Pope’s football career fizzled out after college
He played in 34 games for the Miami Hurricanes from 2018 to 2021, catching 52 passes for 680 yards and four touchdowns. He transferred to the University of Massachusetts for his senior year, where he played in 12 games, catching 33 passes for 420 yards and a touchdown.
Pope signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 2024 after going undrafted. In 2025, he played for the Rhein Fire in the European League of Football.