Is the NFL lockout causing trouble with the law for players? (Part 5)
This is the fifth part of a series of articles discussing legal troubles that players have had since the National Football League (NFL) imposed a lockout on its players and that the arrests and citations could have been avoided had there been no
lockout.
Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jason Peters is the next player on our list after he was arrested on 26 March in Shreveport, Louisiana for disturbing the peace, meaning playing music too loudly, and resisting arrest.
Peters went undrafted in the 2004 NFL Draft out of the University of Arkansas and was later signed by the Buffalo Bills. He was later traded to the Eagles because he was unhappy with his contract, even though he had made it to the Pro Bowl in both 2007 and
2008.
After being traded to the Eagles, Peters was selected to three more Pro Bowls, making him a starter in five straight Pro Bowls, from 2007 to 2011. However, he did not play in the 2011 Pro Bowl due to injuries. He signed a six-year contract for $60 million
with the Eagles. Eagles head coach Andy Reid said that "Jason Peters is the best left tackle in football. He is a powerful and athletic tackle and I have admired his play over the last few years on film."
Shreveport police spokesman Bill Gooding said that he was playing music too loudly, violating the city’s ordinance code. He then refused to provide his driver’s license, resulting in the resisting arrest charge. He was later released on $628 bail.
Just a month before Peters’ incident, another Eagles player was arrested, although this was before the NFL lockout was imposed. Offensive tackle King Dunlap was arrested for reckless driving and disorderly conduct after driving his Cadillac Escalade Sport
Utility Vehicle (SUV) onto the plaza outside of the stadium where the South-eastern Conference (SEC) women’s basketball tournament was being held. He was later released on $1,000 bond.
Next up is Aqib Talib, cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Talib turned himself in for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on 30 March, with his bail set at $25,000. His mother, Okolo Talib, was also arrested for the same incident with bail set
at $30,000 for a charge of illegal possession of a firearm.
The incident in question took place on 21 March, 2011 when police were called to a domestic disturbance after Talib’s neighbours heard gunshots fired inside Talib’s home. Police in Garland, Texas said that both Talib and his mother fired shots at Talib’s
sister’s boyfriend, Shannon Billings. At the time, neither the team nor league could do anything about Talib since the NFL lockout prohibits teams from having any contact with players. But NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said that Talib can be punished under the
league’s personal conduct policy once a new collective bargaining agreement is in place.
“The conduct and drug policies are currently suspended,” Aiello said. “However, any violations of law that occur during the work stoppage will be reviewed for potential discipline.”
For find out who else had legal troubles and what they were, check out the next part of this article.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy. However, all of the arrests and information regarding are factual.
Tags: