A judge dismissed a felony charge against Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da'Quan Bowers on Thursday after he was arrested in February for allegedly carrying a handgun into a New York airport, USA Today's Mike Garafolo reported.
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Bowers pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and will pay a $250 fine plus a $120 surcharge, the newspaper reported.
The judge in the case dismissed a second-degree possession of a weapon felony charge.
The charges stemmed from Bowers' arrest at LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, N.Y., on Feb. 18 after police said he was illegally carrying a handgun. A loaded .40 caliber firearm was discovered among Bowers' possessions at a flight check-in counter, per WNBC-TV. The two-year pro was set to board a US Airways flight to Raleigh, N.C.
Bowers, a Clemson University product, started six games as a rookie and none last season for the Bucs, compiling just 13 tackles in 10 appearances. Bowers was activated from the physically unable to perform list in October after tearing his Achilles tendon in May, but has failed to live up to his second-round draft status from 2011.
Bowers thanked his fans on Twitter shortly after the charges were dropped: