Frank Clark was charged with a felony weapons violation yesterday, and now faces prison time. Will he back on the field for the Chiefs in 2021?
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TMZ originally reported the story, stating that the charges stemmed from a June arrest. Clark was apprehended after police officers spotted an Uzi submachine gun sticking out of a duffel bag in his Lamborghini.
He was booked in an LA County Jail, before paying a $35,000 bond to release himself and the other 3 passengers. Clark’s attorney, Alex Spiro, claimed that the gun belonged to a member of his client’s security team, in defense of Clark.
That being said, a report in the Kansas City Star confirms that yesterday’s decision by LA prosecutors to charge the Chiefs DE was in relation to a separate arrest, which occurred in March.
The California Highway Patrol reportedly arrested Clark after finding 2 loaded weapons – a handgun and rifle – in his car. The LA County District Attorney’s office told The Star Clark was charged with one felony count of possession of an assault weapon.
Will Frank Clark Play for the Chiefs in 2021?
According to the same report, an arraignment for the March arrest is scheduled for July 14th. If Clark is convicted, he could be facing 3 years in prison, and will obviously not be playing football at all.
However, if he isn’t convicted, the situation becomes a little more complex. He would presumably still face some punishment and still be on the hook for the June arrest.
Roger Goodell may end up placing him on the commissioner’s exempt list, which is essentially paid leave. As long as he is on the list, the Chiefs would have to pay his base salary. In other words, Kansas City could be plagued by a huge chunk of dead money in 2021.
If all the drama clears, it’s unclear what the Chiefs will decide to do. Clark has been good for the Chiefs and was a part of their Super Bowl LIV winning team, but his form has been poor of late.
This is also not the 28-year old’s first run in with the law, seeing as he got kicked off Michigan’s football team in college following a domestic battery arrest.
