Gun charge against former NFL linebacker dropped

Associated Press

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — A gun charge against a free agent NFL linebacker has been dropped because the man who said he gave him a weapon admitted he lied, the player's attorney said.

The charges against Khaseem Greene were dismissed by a judge on July 17 after a request from prosecutors, NJ.com reported (http://bit.ly/2wVi04v ) this week.

His attorney, Joshua McMahon, provided an audio recording to NJ.com that includes the other man telling detectives in Elizabeth that he lied about Greene's involvement in a shooting outside of a nightclub in Elizabeth last December.

Jason Sanders' admission came on the same day he told detectives that Greene was involved, but it wasn't included in a criminal complaint that alleged that Greene was seen on camera handing a gun to him, McMahon said. Sanders remains jailed on aggravated assault and weapons offenses after police say he fired into a crowd.

McMahon said the audio recording proves that prosecutors moved forward with charges even though Sanders admitted he lied.

The prosecutors' office said it couldn't comment on specifics of the case while the case against Sanders is pending. A spokesperson for Elizabeth's mayor and police department declined to comment.

"The prosecutor's office and police department worked in concert to repeatedly perpetrate at least two lies to the judge who they sought the initial arrest warrant from, and the grand jurors who returned the indictment," McMahon told NJ.com.

"Specifically, police and prosecutors, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, falsely stated Greene was visible on a surveillance video recording handing a gun to another man, who then fired the gun into a crowd; and, second, that the alleged shooter, Jason Sanders, a self-admitted liar and multi-convicted felon, gave a statement to police claiming Greene handed Sanders the gun."

The Kansas City Chiefs released the linebacker on the same day the charges against him were first reported in May. Greene signed with the team in January.

Greene, who starred at Rutgers University, last played a game in 2014 for the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.

He appeared in 25 games with six starts over two seasons for Chicago. He had 60 1/2 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble to go with seven special-teams stops.

Greene wore No. 52 for the Bears to pay tribute to his friend and former Rutgers teammate Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed while playing for Rutgers in 2010.

Greene was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012.