CLEARWATER, Fla. >> A former University of Florida and NFL player was arrested after authorities say he left a 3-year-old girl alone in a car while he went into a Clearwater strip club.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reports that 41-year-old Monty Ray Grow was charged with child abuse Sunday night. He was later released on $5,000 bail.

Deputies say Grow went into Diamond Dolls and left the child in the parking lot of the nearby used car dealership. Authorities wouldn’t say how Grow knew the girl.

The girl’s mother and grandparents had already removed the uninjured child from the car when deputies arrived.

When Grow returned to the car, he reportedly acknowledged leaving the child unattended.

Grow played linebacker for the Gators from 1989 to 1993. He went on to play a season each for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars.