Player released by Titans after pulling out gun in parking lot, coach says

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Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh confirmed Wednesday that defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was released after pulling a gun in the parking lot of the team facility but said it was a “terrible lapse in judgment that I recognize as a call for help more than a criminal act.”

The Titans had announced Tuesday that Elliott was released, but said only that it came after his involvement in an unspecified incident at the team’s facility five days earlier.

A person briefed on the incident told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Elliott had a gun in his car and went to the parking lot to retrieve it after a dispute with another player. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the incident is being reviewed.

Speaking to reporters, Saleh defended Jordan’s character. “Unfortunately, rules are rules with regard to guns on property, and sometimes it’s far greater than the knee-jerk reaction of kicking somebody when they’re down,” the coach said.

“He’s a good man. Made a terrible, had a terrible lapse in judgment that I recognize as a call for help more than a criminal act,” Saleh added. “He’s never committed a crime in his entire life and he pulled a gun, in the parking lot.”

Right tackle JC Latham, who was involved in the altercation with Elliott on the practice field, called the episode an unfortunate situation.

“I don’t really have too much to say about it,” Latham said Wednesday. “There ain’t never been no bad blood between us two. We were here on the summer getting treatment. Before that, we hung out whenever we were in the same city together. We actually had never had an argument leading up to it.”

Elliott appeared in five games this season with one start and had 11 tackles. He followed Saleh to Nashville after a two-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played in 31 games with 29 starts.

The 6-foot-4 defensive tackle was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2020 draft. He spent his first four seasons in Cleveland before signing a two-year, $7 million deal with San Francisco.

Tennessee added him as a free agent in the offseason on a two-year, $8 million deal.

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田纳西泰坦队主教练罗伯特·萨利赫周三证实，防守截锋乔丹·埃利奥特在球队设施停车场拔枪后被球队解雇，但他表示，这是一次“可怕的判断失误，我认为这更像是一种求助，而不是犯罪行为”。

泰坦队周二宣布解雇埃利奥特，但只表示这是因为他在五天前卷入了球队设施内发生的一起未指明的事件。

一位知情人士周三告诉美联社，埃利奥特当时车里有一把枪，在与另一名球员发生争执后，他前往停车场取枪。由于事件仍在调查中，该人士要求匿名。

萨利赫在接受记者采访时为乔丹的人品辩护。“不幸的是，关于在私人场所携带枪支的规定就是规定，有时候规定比落井下石的本能反应要重要得多，”这位教练说道。

萨利赫补充道：“他是个好人。他犯了一个可怕的错误，判断失误，我认为这与其说是犯罪行为，不如说是一种求救信号。他一生从未犯过罪，却在停车场拔出了枪。”

右截锋 JC Latham 曾与 Elliott 在训练场上发生冲突，他称这一事件是一场不幸的事件。

“我对此没什么好说的，”拉瑟姆周三表示。“我们俩之间从来没有过什么芥蒂。我们夏天来这里接受治疗。在那之前，只要我们在同一个城市，就会一起出去玩。事实上，在那之前我们从来没有吵过架。”

埃利奥特本赛季出战五场，其中一场首发，完成11次擒抱。在效力旧金山49人队两年后，他追随萨利赫来到纳什维尔。在49人队期间，他出战31场，其中29场首发。

这位身高6英尺4英寸的防守截锋在2020年选秀大会第三轮被克利夫兰布朗队选中。他在克利夫兰度过了前四个赛季，之后与旧金山队签下了一份为期两年、价值700万美元的合同。

田纳西泰坦队在休赛期以自由球员身份签下了他，合同为期两年，价值 800 万美元。