Michael Richardson (he plays CB for the Chiefs) Arrested In Tampa

Who? Yeah, I didn’t recognize his name at first either. Richardson was just one of the many bottom of the roster CB’s the Chiefs had floating around last year. Anyway, the story comes from Tampabay.com and off a tip from Arrowhead Pride.

Apparently, there is some sort of Pirate parade down there in Tampa called the Gasparilla Parade. I would assume that anyone going to a parade of pirates for their Saturday afternoon activity would want to have a few beers before, during and most likely after such an event. Well, not if the Tampa “Police” have anything to say about it.

These cops arrested 413 people for carrying around an open container of beer and Richardson was one of them.

"Richardson was arrested at 4:15 p.m., in the vicinity of the Howard and Swann Avenue intersection, on a charge of being in possession of an open container.He was released from the Orient Road Jail at 8:10 p.m. tonight after posting a $250 cash bail, according to jail records."

Hmmmm. Do you really need to be taken to jail for having an open container? Can’t the cops just take it away and issue you a ticket? Sounds like a big, fat load of BS to me. Sounds like the cops would rather chalk up $250 bucks bail money from 413 people which would bring the department a hefty $103, 250. What a sham.

I understand the law is the law but don’t the cops have anything better to do? Usually at events like this, if folks have their beers in unmarked cups and they are behaving themselves and not being belligerent, the cops are pretty cool. I guess the Tamp police thought that instead of busting up drug or prostitution rings, they’d haul 400 people down town for having a beer AT A PARTY. What a load of crap.

I don’t think this is that big of a deal. It will probably be just a slap on the wrist for Richardson unless he did something really stupid. (Like arrest 400 people for drinking beer at a parade)

Scott Pioli may not feel the same way I do. He released TE Michael Merrit last year for getting caught with some weed, although, I’d call that much more serious than getting busted for having a beer outside. Richardson only had 14 tackles last year and unless the team thought he was a fantastic special teas player, the Chiefs were probably unlikely to bring him back after they reload the roster this offseason. This may be the nail in his coffin.

I just think its crap.