The former star player of the New York Giants Travis Rudolph had his career put in jeopardy after being accused of murder, nevertheless, the wide receiver has now been cleared of the heinous charge.
Almost two years have passed since the fatal shooting that resulted in the player’s imprisonment took place. In connection with a dispute Rudolph had earlier with a woman, he was accused of opening fire on four people seated inside a car, killing one of them, and later was charged with murder as well as three counts of attempted murder.
Travis Rudolph was found not guilty
The former NFL player’s big day came on Wednesday as a jury declared him not guilty of all charges related to the murder, and set him free of those charges.
Resorting to violence is usually not encouraged, but self-defense is a different case. And the footballer was found acting in self-defense as opposed to attempting murder.
The jury finds former FSU football star Travis Rudolph not guilty of all charges in murder trail. https://t.co/iGpaPagqck pic.twitter.com/Kovp8AGYWs
— WPEC CBS12 News (@CBS12) June 7, 2023
“I mean I just felt like it was right. … I just knew all along … I did what I had to do to just protect me and my brother’s life,” he said after the verdict.
He felt as though he had been given a new lease on life after the jury read its verdict, smiled widely, hugged his attorney, and later thanked the jury, the judge, and the court for reaching the just verdict following a careful investigation.
“I really appreciate the jury. They made the right decision,” Rudolph said. “God bless them all, and I appreciate them for taking the time to actually listen to the truth come out.”
Rudolph’s possible return to the NFL
Despite having a successful college football career with the Florida Gators, the 27-year-old struggled to secure a team in the NFL. Nevertheless, the Giants subsequently welcomed him to their roster as an undrafted free agent, and he stayed with the team for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Prior to his arrest, he also had a brief career with the Dolphins in 2018 and played for a while in the Canadian Football League. Travis is nevertheless still optimistic about making a comeback in the field, whether it be with the NFL or another league, regardless of the ups and downs life has thrown at him.
“I’m going to reach out to my agent,” he said, “and if God’s willing, I’ll still be able to play football. Definitely planning on getting back to football.”
Travis is one of the fortunate individuals who receive a second chance after getting trialed with such serious charges, it will be interesting to see if he is allowed to make up for lost time inside the field.
