Arrests in U.S. general population higher than for NFL players: study

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Former NFL player Aaron Hernandez looks at the prosecutor during his murder trial at the Bristol County …WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The arrest rate for the general U.S. population was nearly twice that of NFL players from 2000 to 2013, refuting a perception generated by recent news stories that professional football players are more prone to criminal behavior, a new study shows.

Researchers compared overall arrest rates among 1,952 National Football League players with men between the ages of 20 and 39 across the country during that period.

"This study was surprising because of the narrative that exists out there that the NFL has a crime problem," Alex Piquero, a University of Texas…