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Carolina Panthers left tackle Rasheed Walker told reporters Thursday that the gun charge he picked up back in January is getting tossed.
Port Authority Police arrested Walker on Jan. 23 at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal C. He was charged with possession of a firearm after showing up for a firearms check without the right credentials, according to the arrest report.
Walker didn’t say much else about the situation during his media introduction Thursday – he’s letting his attorney handle everything. We tried reaching the attorney but didn’t hear back right away.
The Panthers signed Walker earlier this month to a one-year deal that could be worth up to $10 million.
Here’s why Carolina needed him: starter Ikem Ekwonu tore his patellar tendon in the playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams in January. That’s the kind of injury that usually takes anywhere from six months to a full year to come back from.
General manager Dan Morgan said they’d planned on Yosh Nijman stepping in as the backup. But Nijman retired unexpectedly earlier this month, which left them scrambling.
That’s when they turned to Walker.
The 25-year-old started 16 games last season for the Packers. Morgan said Carolina had “always had Walker as a backup plan” even before Nijman’s retirement.
When asked if Ekwonu’s uncertain status played into his decision to sign with the Panthers, Walker kept it pretty straightforward. He called Ekwonu – the sixth pick in the 2022 draft – “my good friend” before adding, “Someone has to do the job. I think I’m a very good football player and I’m going to help this team get better.”
