CLEVELAND -- A police report says a gun that Cleveland Browns player Shaun Rogers allegedly tried to carry through airport security last Thursday was cocked with a bullet in the chamber.
The report by patrolman Mark Tescar says the cocked semi-automatic handgun was on safe mode with seven bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber.
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Rogers has pleaded not guilty to a concealed weapons charge after authorities say he tried to carry the handgun through airport security in a carry-on bag. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.
The 31-year-old apologized to his fans and his team Friday after spending a night in jail, saying he didn't mean to take the gun into Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Rogers told police he forgot the gun was in his bag when he attempted to fly to Texas on Thursday after participating in the Browns' voluntary offseason program,.
"By no means did I intend or willingly or knowingly take a firearm into the airport," Rogers said. "That's not something I would do."
When reporters asked Rogers on Friday why he needed a weapon, his attorney, Patrick D'Angelo, answered that it wasn't a fair question because his client has a license to carry a firearm.
The arrest could put Rogers' future with the Browns in jeopardy. Team president Mike Holmgren issued a statement Thursday saying that he was aware of "what transpired with Shaun Rogers" and that the Browns would reserve comment "until the legal process has taken its course."
Rogers, who missed the Browns' final five games last season with a broken leg, has been the subject of previous trade rumors. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after his first season in Cleveland, which acquired him in a 2008 trade with Detroit, and he's signed through 2013.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
