In January, Rasheed Walker was arrested at LaGuardia Airport after he attempted to check an unloaded handgun without the necessary paperwork. That resulted in charges on two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon along with criminal possession of a firearm. 
After Walker was released on his own recognizance, a court date was set for March 19. A pretrial diversion program in this case has been offered and accepted, Joe Person of The Athletic writes. As a result, Walker’s charges will be cleared provided he avoids any further arrests in the next six months.
At the time of his arrest, the 26-year-old was unaware of the fact he could not travel with his firearm – which is registered in Wisconsin – to New York without the required credentials for inspection at the airport. Walker’s agent declined to comment on the latest development in the case, one which will eliminate the possibility of any potential league discipline stemming from the original arrest. League spokesman Brian McCarthy also declined to comment on the matter.
Despite his age and experience on the blindside (48 starts), Walker’s free agent market did not develop as planned. The former Packer took a one-year Panthers contract with a base value of $4MM. Incentives can push the deal’s maximum value to $10MM, and playing time early in the season is likely with incumbent left tackle Ikem Ekwonu continuing a lengthy recovery from knee surgery.
When speaking to the media earlier this week, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan noted the team did its homework on Walker’s arrest before signing him. That suggested no league discipline would be forthcoming, and this latest update thus comes as no surprise. Barring any further legal issues, Walker will be able to fully focus his attention on training camp in advance of his debut Carolina season.
“He was not aware he couldn’t travel with his firearm”
If dumb was a felony, he’d be in jail.
I normally would refrain from commenting on another state’s laws or practices, but a perhaps a New Yorker with some legal experience can educate me. Is this charge a must-arrest charge? A pre-trial diversion program suggests that it is a low level misdemeanor (or whatever its proper terminology is in N.Y.), and it seems like a summons could have been issued instead. I’m unfamiliar with New York’s practices, however, so this may not be possible.
The reason that I would inquire as to this is that it seems like Walker did try to transport his gun legally and made a mistake, rather than intending to conceal it or avoiding the process altogether. I’m glad that it (seemingly) won’t affect his record, due to the diversion program, but it seems to me that a summons and a fine or something similar could have eliminated the need for a trip to jail or the program being entered. Again, I am unfamiliar with the norms there, so this may be out of bounds entirely.
Places added credence on thoughts to avoid airports, commercial aircraft and all the paranoia related therein. Just drive baby or take a bus, be like John Madden!