Former Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew spent part of his Sunday morning in jail ... after he punched and broke a glass door during a spat with authorities inside a Texas convenience store.
TMZ Sports has learned ... the incident happened at around 2 AM at a 7-Eleven in Dallas -- when police say Pettigrew became aggressive during an argument inside the shop.
It's unclear exactly what kicked off the tiff -- but in surveillance video, you can see after Pettigrew and several people exchanged words, the former ex-NFLer threw a right hook at the front door, causing it to break.
Immediately afterward, you see officers take out Tasers, but thankfully things didn't escalate ... and it looks like the 6-foot-5 Pettigrew was then arrested without further incident.
A rep for the Dallas Police Dept. tells us the 39-year-old was ultimately transported to the Dallas County Jail and booked on a criminal mischief charge. Records show he was released from custody at around 1 PM on Sunday.
It's not the first time Pettigrew has been in trouble with the law ... in 2017, he was arrested for his alleged role in a disturbance at a bar. In 2018, he was arrested again after he was accused of hitting a police officer following a dispute over an unpaid limousine bill.
Pettigrew, a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, spent seven seasons in the league from '09 through 2015 -- all with Detroit. He piled up 301 catches for 2,965 yards and 17 TDs in his career.