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'El Wingador' indicted on drug charges on eve of Wing Bowl

Bill "El Wingador" Simmons, the competitive chicken-wing eater, has been indicted on drug charges related to a cocaine arrest last year.

Bill "El Wingador" Simmons, the competitive chicken-wing eater, has been indicted on drug charges related to a cocaine arrest last year.

The indictment was unsealed Thursday - the day before the Wing Bowl where he made his name as a minor Philadelphia area celebrity.

Simmons, 51, of Woodbury Heights was indicted for four counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and one count of manufacturing or distributing of more than five ounces of cocaine, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

Simmons was arrested in June of 2012 for multiple instances of drug related offenses.

He soon issued an apologetic statement following his release Monday on $100,000 bail, and praised Gov. Christie's efforts to push for mandatory drug treatment for nonviolent offenders.

Simmons spent 10 days in jail, which he called a "life-changing experience."

"I got to see first hand the impact hard time for nonviolent offenders has on these young kids facing long sentences," Simmons said in his statement at the time, "giving them no chance at rehabilitation or of ever leading normal, productive lives."

A five-time champion of the Wing Bowl, the annual eating competition, Simmons was arrested June 15, 2012, in Harrison Township and charged with distributing drugs and other offenses.

At the time, police said they found $8,000 worth of powder cocaine and $4,000 in cash in a 2010 Kia Soul bearing his celebrity name.

Distribution of more than five ounces of a drug, a first-degree crime, has a sentencing range of 10 to 20 years in prison.

In his June statement, Simmons did not rebut the charges facing him. He apologized to his family and fans and noted the lessons learned in recent weeks.

"I know I'm not a bad person," Simmons said, "just a big dummy, and I'm asking not to be judged by this one thing."

This year, WIP morning host, Angelo Cataldi, who ushered the Wing Bowl into existence, said Simmons would not be allowed to take part in today's celebration of gluttony and strippers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

"We all owe a debt to Bill for what he has done for our event," Cataldi said early this week, as reported by Daily News gossip columnist Dan Gross. "But I think for his benefit that his role be downplayed while he's working things out with the courts."