UPDATE: According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Whitehead has been claimed by the Jets.
Former #Cowboys WR Lucky Whitehead has been claimed by the #Jets, source said. He finds a new home after a wild week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 26, 2017
In a case of mistaken identity, all charges against former Cowboys WR Lucky Whitehead have been dismissed.
Whitehead was charged with shoplifting in Virginia back in June. A warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to appear in court on July 6.
Whitehead was unaware of what was going on, and rightfully so. Here is what he said after practice on Monday:
Lucky Whitehead:
"I didn't even know about that."
(Any truth to it?)
"I don't know what's going on."
(Ever heard about it?)
"No." pic.twitter.com/OII5EbGKe0— Joe Trahan (@JoeTrahan) July 24, 2017
According to The Prince William County Police Department, here is why Whitehead was misidentified:
The man charged on the morning of June 22 was not in possession of identification at the time of the encounter; however, did verbally provide identifying information to officers, which included a name, date of birth, and social security number matching that of Rodney Darnell Whitehead, Jr. Officers then checked this information through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) database. The DMV photo on file was then used to compare to the man who was in custody. Officers acted in good faith that, at the time, the man in custody was the same man matching the information provided. At this point, the police department is also confident in confirming that Mr. Whitehead’s identity was falsely provided to police during the investigation. The police department is currently seeking the identity of the man involved in the incident
Whitehead is not sure how someone was able to get his personal information.
According to Whitehead, the Cowboys were not buying his story. “Let’s not sugarcoat anything. I was pretty much being called a liar,” Whitehead told the Dallas Morning News.
Whitehead went on to tell the Dallas Morning News the following:
“As far as the whole situation went down, I was blindsided,” he said. “I didn’t know about a warrant that came about in the first place. Clearly because I wasn’t the person arrested. The head person [in the Cowboys organization] I told, no one backed me up. No one had my back in the whole situation. I knew about it at what? 12:45. By 2:30 I’m released.”
According to Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, the team has moved on from Whitehead: “We’re going to stand by that decision and move forward,”
Whitehead will now look to catch on with another team. According to his agent, Whitehead has some teams who are interested.
The Cowboys are obviously making an example out of Whitehead. If this were Dez Bryant or Ezekiel Elliott, do you think they would be cut?
Probably not, but that’s the way it works in the NFL.
