Officer Norma Eisenman says the 51-year-old Mariotti was arrested early Saturday in the police department's Pacific Division following a "domestic incident." Eisenman declined to provide further details.

The Sheriff's Department website confirms Mariotti was booked on an undisclosed felony charge at 5:45 a.m. He was released on $50,000 bail just after noon Saturday.

Mariotti lives in Los Angeles. He is a panelist on the ESPN show Around the Horn and writes a regular column for the sports website Fanhouse.com, which is owned by AOL.

He was a longtime columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz declined comment. Calls to AOL were not immediately returned.

At least one media critic —Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco— suggested in a tweet that he's looking forward to seeing how ESPN handles the situation: "Holy jail time Batman, another ESPN analyst has been arrested, Jay Mariotti, lets see if they crucify their own like they do us."