ABERDEEN, N.J. — Former NFL player Charlie Rogers was arrested by the Aberdeen (N.J.) Police Department on Monday for wielding a sword and making terroristic threats at a youth basketball event, six weeks after leaving a voicemail threatening a youth football player.
Rogers, who played five seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills after starring at Georgia Tech, brandished the sword during an Oct. 5 incident at the Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School, during an event for parents of a local youth basketball travel team.
According to Aberdeen Police Chief John T. Powers, the 42-year-old Rogers turned himself in Monday and was also charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, stalking and unlawful possession of a weapon.
He was taken to the Monmouth County jail in Freehold Township. The state did not seek to detain him after his initial appearance, so he was released.
The next step would be for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office to bring the charges to a grand jury. There has been no announcement if they will proceed or when it could happen.
It’s just the latest incident involving Rogers, who played and coached at Matawan Regional High School and also coached at St. John Vianney High School.
The arrest comes 11 weeks after Rogers, who at the time was coaching with Matawan American Youth Football, left a profanity-laden voicemail for the parent of an 11-year-old player on another team, threatening to send his players after the child until he came out of an upcoming game.
Just hours after USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey disclosed the voicemail on Sept. 6, Rogers was fired from his job as the offensive coordinator at St. John Vianney High School. He was also suspended indefinitely by Jersey Shore American Youth Football, banning him from volunteering, coaching or serving as a board member anywhere within AYF in New Jersey.
In the voicemail left for Chris Schuster, the parent of a player who left Matawan AYF to play for the East Brunswick-based Saint Bart's Buffalos, Rogers declares at one point, "We are going to blitz every (expletive) play until your guy comes out of the game."
Matawan and Saint Bart's did play their regularly scheduled game against each other in Matawan on Oct. 7 without incident.
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