Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker was arrested for gun possession at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Friday.
Walker, 25, was arrested after he presented a firearm for inspection without proper credentials, the Associated Press reports. He was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, according to the New York Post.
Port Authority police responded to an alert at LaGuardia’s Terminal C around 11 a.m. Friday after Walker told a Delta Air Lines employee that his luggage contained a handgun and ammunition, according to a criminal complaint. Police searched his bag and found one firearm and 36 rounds of ammo secured in a locked case, according to The Post.
Following his arrest, Walker appeared in Queens County Criminal Court on Friday and was later released. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 19.
Arthur Aidala, Walker’s attorney, said his client was arrested because his license was valid in Wisconsin, but not in New York.
“He told a person from Delta he was traveling with a firearm,” Aidala told The Post. “He mistakenly thought because he had a licensed firearm and it was in a locked box that he was able to travel with it. We are confident the case will be dismissed.”
Walker is in his fourth NFL season, all with the Packers, after Green Bay drafted the former Penn State star in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has made 48 starts at tackle in 52 games played for the Packers.