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Aaron Kromer placed on paid leave after allegedly punching boy

NFL, Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills have placed offensive line coach Aaron Kromer on indefinite paid administrative leave following his arrest this past weekend for allegedly punching a boy and threatening to kill the boy's family.

The Bills announced their decision Tuesday, two days after Kromer was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge in Walton County, Florida.

"Over the last few days our organization has continued to gather information in regards to the alleged incident involving Offensive Line Coach Aaron Kromer," Bills president Russ Brandon said in the statement.

"We have been in regular discussions with the league office and have decided to place Aaron on indefinite paid administrative leave in accordance with the league's Personal Conduct Policy while we continue to work our way through the investigative process with the league."

According to a statement released Sunday by the Walton County sheriff's office, Kromer and his son, Zachery, allegedly confronted three boys, who had been fishing on the beach, over the use of beach chairs.

Kromer, 48, has been accused of pushing one of the boys to the ground and punching him in the face after throwing their fishing pole into the water. Kromer allegedly then ordered that the chairs be returned to where they were found and told the boy that he would kill his family if he reported him to the police, according to the statement.

The Florida state attorney's office issued a criminal summons against Zachery Kromer on Tuesday, police are pursuing a misdemeanor battery charge against him.

Kromer joined Rex Ryan's coaching staff in January after two seasons as the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune last December, which multiple sources confirmed to ESPN, Kromer made a "tearful apology" during a team meeting after criticizing quarterback Jay Cutler in a conversation with an NFL Network reporter.

ESPN.com Bills reporter Mike Rodak contributed to this report.

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