Sunderland Defender Arrested on Assault, Drugs Grounds

Sunderland defender Titus Bramble was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexual assault and possession of hard drugs.

The 30-year-old English Premier League star was being held for questioning by Cleveland Police following an incident in the early hours.

Sunderland said it was making its own inquiries into his arrest.

Bramble lives in Wynyard, north of Middlesbrough in northeast England.

"A 30-year-old man from Wynyard has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and possession of a class A drug," said a spokeswoman for the force.

"He is currently being questioned by police and inquiries are ongoing."

Cleveland Police covers Middlesbrough and the surrounding area.

A spokesman for Sunderland said: "The club is looking into this matter but due to ongoing police investigations is unable to comment further at this stage."

Bramble, an England under-21 international, started his career at hometown club Ipswich before moving to Sunderland's rivals Newcastle, where he spent five years before a three-season spell at Wigan.

He has played three times for the Black Cats this season and played the full 90 minutes in Sunderland's 2-1 defeat at Norwich on Monday.