Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh confirmed Wednesday that defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was released after pulling out a gun in the team’s parking lot, but said it was a “terrible error of judgment that I recognize as a cry for help more than a criminal act.”
The Titans announced Tuesday that Elliott had been released, saying only that it followed 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 had gone to the parking lot to retrieve it after an argument with another player. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the incident is under review.
Elliott’s agent, Malki Kawa, could not be reached for comment.
The NFL prohibits league personnel from bringing a firearm into club facilities, stadiums and team hotels, and on team planes or buses.
The Titans quickly informed the league of the incident involving Elliott, which is under review, the NFL said.
Speaking to reporters, Saleh defended Jordan’s character.
“Unfortunately, rules are rules when it comes to guns on property, and sometimes it goes much deeper than the knee-jerk reaction of kicking someone while they’re down,” the coach said.
“He is a good man. He committed a terrible act, made a terrible error of judgment that I consider a cry for help more than a criminal act,” Saleh added. “He’s never committed a crime in his entire life and he pulled out 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 much to say about it,” Latham said Wednesday. “There was never any tension between the two of us. We were here this summer getting treatment. Before that, we hung out together whenever we were in the same city. In fact, we never had an argument before that.”
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 contract with San Francisco.
Tennessee added him as a free agent in the offseason on a two-year, $8 million deal.
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report.
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