The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Louis Murphy was arrested Wednesday morning for carrying a loaded gun into Tampa International Airport.
Around 8 am, airport security found a Glock 23 pistol inside Murphy’s backpack as he attempted to get through the security checkpoint.
Murphy was committing a third-degree felony by having a concealed weapon with him, especially since he did not have a permit for said concealed weapon. Murphy was shortly released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department at 2:45 Wednesday afternoon on a cash bond of $2,000.
Though he was released, the former Buc player could face serious charges with this offense, since the state of Florida sentences up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines for third-degree felonies.
A similar incident involving NFL players and loaded weapons occurred North of Tampa on the same day. Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Senquez Golson was released after security had found a .45-caliber pistol in his carry-on at Mobile Regional Airport. The two very similar arrests bring to light the question of why players, both former and current, are willing to risk these charges and believe they can get passed the TSA with these loaded weapons and get away with it.
Murphy’s pistol had 11 rounds of ammunition loaded when it was discovered by security. 11 rounds. What would possess Murphy to try and bring this much physically threatening force on his flight? There may not be a definite answer to these questions, but it should open up the public’s awareness of a serious problem in the privileges NFL players try to enforce and take advantage of.
Murphy came to the Buccaneers in 2014, after shortly making the roster for the Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and New York Giants. he spent three years with the Bucs, but didn’t get much playing time in 2016 because of a knee injury.
This wasn’t Murphy’s first run-in with the law. During his last offseason, he had locked himself in a museum at Palm Beach and had to break a glass door to escape. He wasn’t charged for this incident since it was an accidental occurrence after attending a friend’s wedding reception.
Featured Image via Flickr/MichaelTipton
