Former Broncos player Orson Charles arrested for pulling a gun on police
A decent full back and tight end during his time in the league, Charles’s behavior and subsequent charges will come as a shock.
Sadly, the former Broncos star didn’t make the headlines for football related reasons, but rather for crossing the line where the law is concerned. Luckily nobody was hurt.
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Former Broncos player Orson Charles arrested
According to reports, former NFL veteran Orson Charles was charged with aggravated assault following an altercation on Friday night in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. An experienced fullback and tight end, Charles was last seen in the NFL with the Broncos back in 2019. It is understood, that the one-time Broncos star approached two off-duty police officers after an argument about a parking spot. Charles allegedly threatened to shoot the officers with a gun that was carrying at the time, before he was detained in the early hours of Saturday morning.
What exactly did Orson Charles do?
As per reports, Charles attempted to park at the intersection of 19th Street and 8th Avenue shortly before midnight on Friday, when it’s it seems that another car took the space first. At that point, Charles who is 31 years old, allegedly proceeded to approach the driver’s door of the aforementioned car which was actually occupied by two off-duty police officers. Charles then went on to reveal a gun from under his shirt while threatening to shoot the pair. At this point, it is understood that the officers displayed their badges to Charles, however, the former NFL player continued to threaten them, such that they drove away.
Following the altercation, Charles was monitored by an off-duty Hillsborough County deputy before being taken into custody, according to Tampa police. At present, what we do know is that Charles has since been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed firearm, per reports. To be clear, both count as felony offenses in Florida.
Who was Orson Charles the NFL player?
A fourth-round NFL Draft pick from Georgia back in 2012, Charles spent some eight seasons in the NFL, playing primarily as a fullback and tight end. Though he spent the first two years of his career with the Bengals, he would go on to spend time with six other teams in the league between 2014 and 2019. Of those teams, his most notable period was spent with the Cleveland Browns in 2018. During that year he played 13 games and was a starter in two of them. Incidentally, Charles was also drafted by the XFL’s DC Defenders in 2020, but finally declined to sign a formal contract with the franchise.