The Philadelphia Eagles are done with receiver Josh Huff.
The team released Huff after he was arrested for DUI and unlawful possession of a weapon on Tuesday, then said on Wednesday he believes every player on the Eagles, and every player in the NFL, owns a gun.
“I do, yes, I do,” Huff said, according to The Sports Xchange.
“I’m a professional athlete. What professional athlete don’t have a gun?” Huff said, according to Philly.com. “I have a wife and I have a son at home, and my job is to protect them at all costs. My job is to protect myself as well.”
The team announced Thursday morning it had cut Huff. News of his arrest was well known by the time the team reported to the facility and practiced on Wednesday, so it’s fair to assume his comments played into Thursday’s transaction. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, however, said the team was simply gathering information over 48 hours and made a decision after that.
While it’s no secret that many NFL players own guns, and do so legally, Huff made the type of headline the NFL doesn’t want to see.
Huff was pulled over for speeding at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, according to CSN Philly. Police “found a gun, loaded magazine and less than 50 grams of marijuana,” the story said. Huff was charged for unlawful possession of a weapon and for having hollow point bullets, marijuana possession, a DUI, speeding and obstructed view for tinted windows, CSN Philly reported.
Huff said he has a license for the gun in Texas, but New Jersey doesn’t honor that license. He admitted to not knowing enough about New Jersey’s gun laws.
As for the gun possession, he said he never brought it to the team’s facility, and referenced an incident in which then-Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton had a reported standoff with guns in the locker room.
“No. I’m not Gilbert Arenas, bro,” Huff said, according to CSN Philly. “No. I’m not going to bring a gun on the premises. I’m not going to bring a gun and put my teammates in jeopardy of anything. That’s not me. It’s solely for protection and that’s that.”
Huff, who attended college at Oregon, is in his third season. Huff had 13 catches for 72 yards this season and was a key special-teams contributor. He had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown this season.
Huff was honest about why he feels he needs a gun, and it’s fair to assume the other players who own guns agree with many of his thoughts.
“I’m from Houston. You can’t trust a lot of people in Houston,” Huff said, according to CSN Philly. “There’s always somebody out to get you. You gotta protect yourself. Even when I’m back in Houston, I always have a gun on me. There’s been several incidents in Houston where I’ve lost a friend to gun violence. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, so why would I let that happen to me.”
After the arrest and the comments, the Eagles decided they’d had enough.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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