Sunderland defender was also in possession of a class A drug, police have said.
The 30-year-old was being held for questioning by Cleveland Police following an incident in the early hours.
The previous cases involved an alleged rape in a London hotel when Bramble was a Newcastle player, and again he was involved in a rape case in Newcastle city some years later.
On both accounts the charges were dropped before the cases went to court.
A force spokeswoman said: "A 30-year-old man from Wynyard has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and possession of a class A drug.
"He is currently being questioned by police and inquiries are ongoing."
A Sunderland spokesman said: "The club is looking into this matter but due to ongoing police investigations is unable to comment further at this stage."
Bramble's career started at Ipswich Town, before Sir Bobby Robson signed him for £6million in 2002 (*but we don't talk about that any more).
He completed his five years contract, then he joined Wigan, before returning to the north east with Sunderland last year.
NEWCASTLE UNITED'S LAST GAME ....
NEWCASTLE UTD 3 BLACKBURN ROVERS 1
NEWCASTLE: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Marveaux 84), Ba (Ben Arfa 74), Best.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch, Sammy Ameobi.
BLACKBURN: Robinson, Salgado, Samba, Givet, Dann (Rochina 63), Hoilett, Lowe, Nzonzi, Olsson, Formica (Roberts 63), Yakubu (Grella 79).
Subs Not Used: Bunn, Petrovic, Vukcevic, Hanley.
Att: 46, 236
We have been crying in our beer ever since the transfer window closed because Mike Ashley kept his hand in his pocket when Alan Pardew had two class strikers lined up.
Pardew made his feeling felt, saying it was a "missed opportunity to make this a top team", but he defended Demba Ba ... suggesting he was a player who could make us forget about Andy Carroll.
We do need a striker ... it is there for all to see ... as we huffed and puffed our way through a dull pre-season ... BUT perhaps there is life after Carroll.
Ba suddenly strung to life after his religious fasting and 40 days of nothingness to open his Newcastle account with a hat-trick.
The Senegal international scored twice inside three first-half minutes to give his side a commanding lead, and then after Junior Hoilett had pulled one back for the visitors, who had Martin Olsson sent off, headed home a third with 54 minutes gone.
Alan Pardew's men might have won even more comfortably with Leon Best passing up two late opportunities to add to his three goals for the season, but they were good value for a win which took them to 12 points from a possible 18 and stretched their run to eight games without defeat in all competitions during the current campaign.
In the process, they ended Blackburn's remarkable run of five successive Premier League victories at St James' Park on an afternoon when they never looked like adding to it in front of a crowd of 46,236.
The two sides will meet again in the Carling Cup fourth round at Ewood Park next month after being paired together in today's draw, but the Magpies will head to Lancashire brimming with confidence after cementing their place in the upper ranks of the league table.
There was much anger and frustration on Tyneside when the summer transfer window closed with the club having failed to land the high-profile striker for whom they had been searching since Andy Carroll's departure in January.
Amid the fall-out, however, Ba's arrival had gone largely unnoticed after an uncertain start to his career at St James'.
But today was the day the 26-year-old chose to announce himself in style with a treble which reminded the locals of the potency which brought him seven goals in just 12 Premier League appearances for West Ham last season.
Ba whistled a long-range sixth-minute effort over Paul Robinson's crossbar as the Magpies made a bright start with Gabriel Obertan particularly influential.
But he demonstrated his prowess in front of goal 21 minutes later when he opened his account in some style.
Best's driven cross from the left presented its own challenges, but Ba controlled superbly to turn central defender Scott Dann and smash a right-foot shot past Robinson.
The striker dropped to the ground to kiss the turf, and he was celebrating again within three minutes.
Steven Taylor, who had headed upfield for an earlier free-kick, was still deep in enemy territory to head Danny Simpson's deep ball back across the penalty area and Olsson could only help it on towards Ba, who headed it past the stranded Robinson from close range.
That really should have been it for the Magpies, who had dominated for much of the opening half-hour, and they might have added to their lead had Dann not made an important block to keep out Jonas Gutierrez's 36th-minute shot.
However, Rovers got themselves back into the game seconds later after Ryan Taylor had gifted them possession on halfway.
Mauro Formica capitalised and the ball was fed out to Olsson on the left, and he crossed for Hoilett, who had looked the visitors' most dangerous player, to control and thump a half-volley into the roof of the net.
Pardew was furious on the touchline, although his mood might have improved on the stoke of half-time had Obertan's shot flown inside rather than outside the post after he and Yohan Cabaye had staged a pacy counter-attack.
Rovers returned in spirited fashion and went close when Olsson met Michael Salgado's 53rd-minute cross and looped a shot on to Tim Krul's crossbar.
But the Magpies eased further ahead within seconds when Ba looped a header over Robinson and into the net with Best desperately trying to get the final touch.
Simpson was almost caught out by Olsson once again on the hour when he failed to intercept another Salgado cross, but the ball hit the midfielder's shins and dropped wide.
Obertan curled a 68th-minute shot just wide with Newcastle dominant once again, and they caused was aided further two minutes later when Olsson was dismissed after being booked for the second time for a cynical challenge on Best.
Cabaye tested Robinson from distance and Best twice fired over the top after working himself into promising positions.
David N'Zonzi launched a dipping long-range effort over Krul's bar with eight minutes remaining, but Rovers' cause was forlorn.
NEXT NEWCASTLE UTD MATCH:
WOLVES v TOON
Saturday October 1st KO 3pm
Saturday 01st October 2011
Everton v Liverpool 12:45
Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic 15:00
Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City 15:00
Manchester United v Norwich City 15:00
Sunderland v West Bromwich Albion 15:00
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle United 15:00
Sunday 02nd October 2011
Bolton Wanderers v Chelsea 13:30
Fulham v Queens Park Rangers 15:00
Swansea City v Stoke City 15:00
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal 16:00
MAGPIES IN EUROPE
£9.99 Available From:
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
M&M News; 140 Northumberland St.
One Stop News; 44 Blackett St.
Blackwell Bookshop; 141 Percy St.
The Back Page; 56 St Andrews St.
CHESTER-LE-STREET
The Bookcase; 131 Front St
NEWCASTLE UNITED 20011/12
PREMIER LEAGUE
NEWCASTLE 3 BLACKBURN 1 (Ba 3)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Marveaux 84), Ba (Ben Arfa 74), Best.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch, Sammy Ameobi.
ASTON VILLA 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Best)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Sammy Ameobi 85), Best (Shola Ameobi 69), Ba (Marveaux 80).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch.
QPR 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 88), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Marveaux 82), Shola Ameobi (Ba 64).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Guthrie, Lovenkrands.
NEWCASTLE 2 FULHAM 1 (Best 2)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Lovenkrands (Ba 62), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Obertan, Best (Vuckic 78), Vuckic (Smith 85).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi, Ferguson.
SUNDERLAND 0 NEWCASTLE UTD 1 (R Taylor)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Tiote, Cabaye (Williamson 85), Barton, Obertan (Gosling 85), Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Lovenkrands, Ba, Best, Marveaux.
NEWCASTLE 0 ARSENAL 0
Krul, Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Simpson, Barton, Cabaye (Lovenkrands 81), Tiote, Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi (Best 73), Ba (Obertan 46).
Subs Not Used: Forster, Williamson, Gosling, Sammy Ameobi.
CARLING CUP
NOTTINGHAM FOR. 3 NEWCASTLE 4 (AET) Lovenkrands 2, Simpson, Coloccini
Elliot, Simpson, Coloccini, Perch, Ferguson, Abeid, Guthrie, Gosling (Shola Ameobi 70), Marveaux, Ben Arfa (Sammy Ameobi 70), Lovenkrands (Obertan 80).
Subs Not Used: Krul, Best, Dummett, Henderson.
SCUNTHORPE 1 NEWCASTLE 2 AET (R Taylor, Sammy Ameobi)
Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson (Steven Taylor 45), Ryan Taylor, Marveaux, Gosling (Vuckic 70), Cabaye, Lovenkrands, Best, Ba (Sammy Ameobi 65).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Abeid, Smith, Ferguson.
PRE-SEASON FIXTURES
NEWCASTLE 0 FIORENTINA 0
(Ab 63 mins)
Krul (Forster 46), Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique, Gosling (Ba 46), Cabaye, Vuckic, Jonas (Marveaux 46) Lovenkrands (R Taylor 61), Best (Shola Ameobi 46).Subs: Sammy Ameobi, Ranger, Tavernier, Williamson.
LEEDS UTD 3 NEWCASTLE 2 (S.Taylor, Vuckic)
Forster, Cabaye, Williamson, Barton, Simpson, Gosling, Gutierrez, Ba, Shola Ameobi, Taylor, Tavernier. Subs: Krul, Taylor, Best, Vuckic, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett.
COLUMBUS CREW 0 NEWCASTLE 3 (Ameobi, Coloccini, Vuckic)
Harper; Tavernier, S Taylor, Coloccini (Dummett, 54), Enrique; Gutierrez (Abeid, 85), Tiote (Smith, 62), Gosling, Marveaux (Vuckic, 76); Ameobi (Best, 75), Ba. Subs not used: Forster, Krul.
ORLANDO CITY 1 NEWCASTLE 0
Forster; R Taylor (Enrique, 26), S Taylor, Coloccini, Tavernier; Gosling (Vuckic, 71), Smith (Abeid, 74), Tiote, Gutierrez; Best (Ba, 74), Lovenkrands (Ameobi, 74). Subs not used: Krul, Harper.
SPORTING KANSAS 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Gosling, Coloccini, S Taylor, R Taylor, Marveaux (Tavernier 46), Tiote (Abeid 46), Ben Arfa, Gutierrez, Ba (Best 72), Lovenkrands (Smith 46).
DARLINGTON 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Barton, Sammy Ameobi)
Forster; Simpson (Dummett), S Taylor (Tavernier), Williamson (Henderson), Ferguson (R Taylor); Barton (Abeid), Guthrie (Cabaye, Donaldson), Smith (Gosling), Vuckic (Sammy Ameobi); Ben Arfa (Richardson), Best (Ranger). Subs not used: Soderberg, Newton.