New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is scheduled to be in court for a weapon charge before training camp begins.
Rich Cimini of ESPN shared Wednesday evening that Williams has a new court date — July 23, citing the Queens City District Attorney office. The original court date of March 25 had to be pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quinnen Williams arrested at LaGuardia Airport for carrying pistol
The reason Williams is headed to court is that back on March 5 he was arrested at LaGuardia Airport. That day, he had tried boarding a flight with an unlicensed pistol in his possession.
Per NFL.com back in early March, this may have been just a mix-up, however.
“Police said Williams has a permit in his home state of Alabama — but not in New York — for the Glock 19 pistol he was carrying onto the flight.”
The good news is that the gun was not loaded.
The bad news is that the state of New York may still consider it a “loaded” weapon because he had both the gun and ammunition at the same time, per SNY.
Drafted third overall in 2019, Quinnen Williams showed promise as a rookie
Coming out of Alabama last spring, Williams was widely considered to be one of the best prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft class. That bore fruit as he was the third overall pick, which landed him a four-year contract with the Jets with a worth of $32.5 million, and which came with a $21.6 million signing bonus.
As a rookie last year, Williams appeared in 13 games, earning nine starts. He put up decent stats, tallying 28 tackles, 2.5 sacks, six quarterback hits and four tackles for a loss. Assuming the current weapons charge he’s facing doesn’t result in any serious punishment, Williams figures to continue anchoring the Jets defensive line for years to come.