Bowers arrested on gun charges

TigerNet Staff by

According to NBC New York, former Clemson All-American defensive end Da'Quan Bowers was arrested at New York's LaGuardia Airport Monday morning after it was discovered he was carrying a loaded .40 caliber handgun in his carry-on bag.

According to the NFL Network, a spokeswoman for the Queen's District Attorney's Office said that Bowers has been charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon of the 2nd degree and has a court appointment scheduled for Monday night. The spokeswoman also said Bowers did not try to go through security. Instead when he got to the check-in counter, he told the airline that he had a gun in his carry-on bag.

A second degree criminal possession of a firearm is a class C felony in New York which is the same charge received by Plaxico Burress when he accidentally shot himself a few years ago. From the Tampa Bay site The Pewter Plank:

Second degree criminal possession of a firearm is a class C felony in New York. For reference, this is the exact same charge that Plaxico Burress faced following his accidental self-injury with a firearm several years ago. Burress spent two years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges, and receiving a plea bargain. This is a very serious, very difficult situation for Bowers, as the state of New York is very tight about gun laws. The fact that it took place in an airport compounds matters, and the case will surely find its way to a grand jury, much like Burress’ case did.

Bowers is the most decorated player in Clemson history. In 2010, he won the Nagurski Award as the top defensive player in college football as selected by the Football Writers Association, and the Ted Hendricks Award as the top defensive end in college football. He was also a finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Bednarik Award. He is the first player in Clemson history to win either of those national awards and was just the second Clemson player to be a finalist for the Lombardi Award. Bowers was also a unanimous All-American and was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He is just the fourth unanimous first-team All-American in Clemson history.

Bowers has played defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last two years.