Tila Tequila's Latest Shot at Love Turns Into Shot in the Face

Tila "Tequila" Nguyen's latest shot at love has ended in domestic violence. The reality TV star was hospitalized after being attacked by her boyfriend, San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, Sunday in San Diego.

Tila Tequila, 27, whose last name is actually Nguyen, is best known for the MTV reality show "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila," which ran for two seasons. The dating show revealed her bisexual tendencies to the world, as men and women vied for Tequila's affections. She has also modeled for Playboy and other men's magazines.

While Tila Tequila is really tiny, at 4'11", Shawne Merriman, 25, as an OLB for the Chargers, sure isn't. He is 6'4" and 272 pounds.

According to the police report, authorities were called at 3:45 AM Sunday morning to Shawne Merriman's house in Poway, north of San Diego, after a woman, allegedly Tila Tequila, called to say she was choked by the player and thrown to the ground when she tried to leave. Tequila, 27, signed a citizen's arrest warrant, charging Merriman with battery and false imprisonment, according to San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Gary Steadman.

Shawne Merriman was taken into custody and booked into the central jail at about 8:30 AM. He was released shortly after 11 AM. Meanwhile, Tila Tequila was taken to a hospital. Her condition was not immediately available.

Although Shawne Merriman performed well in his first three seasons (he was the 12th overall pick out of the University of Maryland in the 2005 draft), with 39 1/2 sacks and three Pro Bowl selections, he was getting back into shape after missing nearly all of last season following knee surgery.

The NFL will likely take a good look at this. They have enough to worry about with Michael Vick re-entering the league to have still more negative publicity, as in this Shawne Merriman - Tila Tequila news.

The Chargers are scheduled to open the season next Monday at Oakland. Upon hearing the Shawne Merriman - Tila Tequila news, Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said in statement:

"It's disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman. We'll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course."