The 44-year-old former Tour de France winner was arrested on charges of assaulting an escort in the German city of Frankfurt. Prosecutors told DW Ullrich was under the influence of "massive amounts of alcohol and drugs."
Image: picture-alliance/Keystone/G. Ehrenzeller
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Former German cyclist and Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich was taken into custody on assault charges in Frankfurt, authorities said.
Frankfurt's Prosecutor's Office confirmed to DW that Ullrich had allegedly assaulted an escort at a luxury hotel. He had spent Thursday night with the woman. The two got into an argument and things escalated.
"He got a visit from a call girl, a dispute took place and the lady was allegedly choked," prosecutor's office spokeswoman Nadja Niesen confirmed to DW.
Niesen told DW that Ullrich was under the influence of "massive amounts of alcohol and other drugs."
"He was very impaired," Niesen said.
Authorities said Ullrich did not pose an immediate danger, so he had been released while the investigation is ongoing. Later on Friday, however, Ullrich was committed to a psychiatric clinic.
German newspaper Bild reported that following the alleged attack, the woman sought help from hotel staff and the police was called. The woman required medical attention, Bild said.
Two arrests in one month
Ullrich had traveled to Frankfurt to begin an addiction treatment program, after admitting he needed help, following a prior run-in with police in Spain.
The 44-year-old former cyclist was arrested in the Spanish island of Mallorca after breaking into his neighbor's house and threatening him. The neighbor was German film star and former friend Til Schweiger.
Jan Ullrich is the first German to win the Tour de France in 1997. He also won gold and silver medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. But in 2013, after facing accusations and bans from the sport for years, Ullrich ultimately admitted that he had engaged in blood doping throughout his career.
jcg/sms (SID, AFP)
Sports stars who've fallen from grace
Fame, fortune and success usually follow high athletic achievement, but even the most talented are not immune to scandal and crime. DW looks at notable sports stars who have shattered their own reputation.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Los Angeles Daily News/M. Chun
OJ Simpson and the 'trial of the century'
Despite an illustrious college football and NFL career, OJ Simpson is best known for the notorious trial of his ex-wife Nicole Brown's brutal murder. Simpson was found not guilty, but the intense media scrutiny of the trial tarnished his reputation. In 2007, the former American football star served 9 years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Los Angeles Daily News/M. Chun
Maradona, the bad boy superstar
Diego Maradona earned his spot in the pantheon of football greats for his incredible performances in the 1980s, his rag to riches story and the famous "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup. But his behavior off the field, driven by excessive drug use, caused him numerous suspensions and bans late in his career, and has cast a cloud over his name in the eyes of many.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/R. Jebarah
Marion Jones, a tainted legacy
The American sprinter won five medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, catapulting her to stardom. Jones vehemently denied rumors of doping, but a federal investigation into a California lab uncovered evidence of her culpability. In 2007, she publicly admitted to steroid use and lying to authorities. Jones was subsequently stripped of all her Olympic medals and sentenced to 6 months in prison.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Butler
Oscar Pistorius, from the history books to jail
Nicknamed the "blade runner," the South African Paralympian made history as the first amputee to compete in Olympic athletics in London 2012, and the first one to earn a medal in the Athletics World Championship of 2011, as part of a relay team. But in 2011 he was found guilty of murder, for fatally shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in their home.
Image: Reuters/P. Magakoe
Jan Ullrich, from national hero to foe
The first German to win the Tour de France in 1997, coupled with gold and silver medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Jan Ullrich was among the best cyclists in the world. But in 2013, he admitted publicly to blood doping. After retirement, his life has been marred by scandal, from drunk driving to recently breaking into his neighbor's house in the Spanish island of Mallorca.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/E. Risch
Tonya Harding, a rivalry gone wrong
Harding (left) overcame a troubled upbringing to become a figure skating star, and her fierce rivalry with Nancy Kerrigan captured global attention. But then Kerrigan was injured in an attack that kept her from the 1994 World Championships, where Harding won gold. When Harding and her ex-husband were linked to the attack, she was banned from competition for life and stripped of her medal.
