LAS VEGAS – At least five NFL players arrested in last six months in this sketch city It is known as the party and tourism capital.
Yet despite the circumstances and challenges of owning a team and major events in a freelance destination known for flashy nightclubs, lax open container laws, and 24-hour drinking and gambling availability, the NFL’s position is that it shouldn’t. Treat Las Vegas differently from other cities that host the league.
Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said the arrests did not raise controversy about enforcing any additional security policies or taking other action.
On Monday, a judge adjourned a court hearing for the second time alvin cabin, The escaped star of the New Orleans Saints who was accused of assaulting a man at a nightclub on Feb. Kamara and three others faced charges stemming from a fight just prior to the Pro Bowl held in Las Vegas the week before the Super Bowl. . In an incident report, police accused Kamara and three other men of punching and crushing a man and breaking his orbital bone.
Kamara’s lawyer, David Chesnoff, declined to comment on Friday.
Kamara played in the NFL’s all-star game the day after the alleged fight and was arrested after the game.
Raiders in November 2021 released receiver Henry Ruggs III, In 2020, 23-year-old Tina Tintor’s first-round pick after crashing her car, killing her and her dog when her car caught fire, and injuring girlfriend Kiara Washington.
Ruggs was charged two heavy penalties for driving under the influence of drugs and two heavy penalties for reckless driving and possession of a weapon while under the influence of drugs. He did not defend the case. According to court records, the preliminary hearing will be held on June 16. Chesnoff, who also represents Ruggs, declined to comment on the case.
Kansas City has released columnist Damon Arnette, who was accused of threatening valet drivers with a gun at a Las Vegas hotel in January. According to court records, the next court date is set for July 26. The Raiders had selected Arnette in the first round in 2020. but released him in November 2021He cited a video that surfaced on social media that appeared to have Arnette pulling a gun and making threats.
Arnette’s attorney, Ross Goodman, did not respond to a request for comment.
Nate Hobbs, a Raiders columnist, was found guilty of reckless driving, a misdemeanor charge, in January. He was found asleep on the exit ramp in his vehicle. In a parking lot at the Cromwell hotel earlier that month, it recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.07 percent, just below the legal limit of 0.08 percent in Nevada.
The Raiders did not respond to a request for comment.
Lanier said the incidents were disturbing but not unique to Las Vegas.
“I think the events that happened there were unfortunate, but unfortunately these conditions can happen anywhere,” Lanier said in an interview.
The NFL has avoided Las Vegas for decades, mainly because of Nevada’s legalized gambling in the sport. In 2007, the league suspended corner player Adam Jones for one season for inappropriate behavior, which included: Role in a fight at a Las Vegas strip club During the NBA’s All-Star weekend. Three people were shot, and Jones was given one year’s probation as part of a plea deal.
In 2017, team owners approved the Raiders’ relocation from Oakland, California, after an unsuccessful bid to return to Los Angeles. The league embraced Las Vegas is even more so after a US Supreme Court decision in 2018 that lifted the ban on commercialized sports betting in most states. The league awarded the city this year’s pick and the Super Bowl in 2024.
Still, NFL players and staff are prohibited from betting on sports throughout the season, except for a brief transition to approved areas such as hotel rooms. Non-player league employees are strictly not allowed to bet on sports, while players are allowed to bet on games from other leagues. The NFL Players Association, the association that represents players, also offers a preset ride service to deter drunk driving.
According to a league spokesperson, 32 NFL players were arrested in 2021 and there are more than 1,600 active NFL players on the roster.
Lanier said he did not consider it necessary to regulate athletes or staff differently from one city to another because of the various entertainment offerings, as only a small percentage of players were arrested.
“Policy is policy, and what we ask our employees to abide by is just as important in Detroit as it is in Las Vegas,” Lanier said. “We go to great lengths to make sure everyone, wherever they are, has all the tools they need to make a good decision.”
Tommy Burns, a former chief of police for Henderson, Nev., a Las Vegas suburb of nearly 300,000 people and a current security consultant for some casino-resorts, said in his experience, athletes are less of a problem at nightlife venues than the general population. Although Las Vegas is known as Sin City, Burns said it doesn’t deserve unparalleled attention from the NFL.
“Players who get into trouble are going to have trouble wherever they are, whether it’s New York, New Orleans or Miami,” Burns said. “I don’t think you can tie that up and say, ‘God, the Raiders are in Vegas now, they’re going to make trouble’.”