Getty Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons against Marshon Lattimore of the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 6, 2020.
New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio, during a traffic stop on March 25 and is now facing a felony gun charge in what his lawyer called “a misunderstanding.”
In a media release, Cleveland Police said they stopped a vehicle “for multiple traffic violations” and, after observing a Glock 19 handgun in the car, they say they found a loaded gun in Lattimore’s possession. They arrested him and charged him with failure to notify police that he was carrying a loaded firearm, as per Ohio state law, as well as receiving stolen property after they discovered the gun was reported stolen from Euclid, Ohio, the release said.
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Attorney Marcus Sidoti: ‘This Was a Misunderstanding’
In a statement to Cleveland.com, Lattimore’s attorney Marcus Sidoti said in part: “Mr. Lattimore, a proud Cleveland native with no prior criminal record or history, is fully cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation of this matter. He was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by police and was arrested without incident. … We believe that this was a misunderstanding and that this will become even clearer as new information becomes available and is shared with the authorities.”
The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell, Lattimore waived his preliminary hearing and the case will now be sent to the grand jury.
Police said they also arrested the driver, Carl Willis, on charges of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, as well as two additional passengers, Kenyon Moon and Maurice Walton, who are charged with “having weapons while under disability,” which in Ohio includes while prohibited due to felony conviction, among other offenses.
Marshon Lattimore Is Entering the Last Year of His Rookie Contract
GettyMarshon Lattimore reacts after being picked #11 overall by the New Orleans Saints during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Lattimore entered the NFL in 2017 after New Orleans made him a first-round pick following a stellar career at Ohio State. He has since started 57 games and has recorded 230 total tackles, along with ten interceptions, 55 passes defended, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
He won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2017 and has been named to the Pro Bowl three times (in 2017, 2019 and 2020).
Last May the Saints exercised the fifth-year option on Lattimore’s rookie contract, so he will earn $10.244 million in 2021 and count the same amount against the Saints’ salary cap, according to Over the Cap. That’s approximately 6.5 times as much as he was paid in 2020, when he earned $1,530,850 in salary. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022.
With the Saints facing one of the most challenging salary cap situations in the NFL, it’s possible that Lattimore could be traded before he has a chance to hit free agency.
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