Jets

Jets DL Sheldon Richardson Arrested, Facing Four Charges

July 30, 2015

Update:

Mike Freeman of the B/R has spoken to three NFL sources who all said they think Jets DE Sheldon Richardson will never play another down in the NFL following this arrest.

Freeman’s sources all pointed to the 12-year child and the loaded handgun in the car as two major concerns regarding the incident.

We’ll have more details regarding Richardson as the news is available.

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According to Kimberly A. Martin, the Jets were not aware of Sheldon Richardson‘s recent arrest until today.

The Jets have released a statement regarding the situation:

“We are aware of the situation & gathering info. This is a pending legal matter. We will have no further comment.”

This is probably another poor decision on Richardson’s part to not inform the Jets of his prior arrest and force them to find out the details through the media.

New York wound up taking USC DL Leonard Williams in this year’s draft, which was a fairly surprising pick, but it looks very smart in hindsight, as it provides them with some long-term protection at the position.

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According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jets DE Sheldon Richardson was charged with resisting arrest and various traffic violations in connection with an high-speed road race in Missouri back on July 14.

Richardson was driving a 2014 Bentley Silver Spur that was clocked by police as going as fast as 143 mph.

Officers tried to stop Richardson’s car when he increased his speed and sped through a traffic light in an attempt to get away.

Richardson was arrested after he eventually pulled into the driveway of a home. Two other men and a 12-year-old child were in Richardson’s car, but were not charged in the matter.

A resisting arrest charge is considered a misdemeanor that carries a potential penalty of up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. On top of that, there was a “very strong odor of marijuana” in car, per Rich Cimini.

Police also found a fully loaded gun under the seat of the car, per Kimberly Martin.

Richardson is also facing charges of: exceeding the speed limit, following too closely, failing to use lights and failing to obey a traffic signal.

This comes just a few weeks after Richardson was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

Richardson, 24, is entering the third year of his four-year, $10.054 million rookie contract and was set to make a base salary of $1.319 million for the 2015 season.

Last year, Richardson recorded 66 tackles, eight sacks, a forced fumble, a recovery and a safety for the Jets’ defense. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 2 defensive end in a 3-4 defense out of qualifying players.