Denzel Perryman #6 of the Los Angeles Chargers throws his glove to fans after a game against the Carolina Panthers in a file photo from Sept.15. (Kara Durrette / Getty Images)
By Johnathan Jones August 5, 2025 at 2:23pm
NFL star Denzel Perryman sat in jail for four days over the weekend for the infraction of exercising the wrong constitutional right while in California.
According to ESPN, the 32-year-old Los Angeles Chargers linebacker was arrested Friday night after LAPD officers pulled him over for alleged vehicle code violations.
A search of his vehicle turned up five guns, including two so-called “assault-style rifles.”
Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman was arrested Friday night on a felony weapons charge, according to public records.
More via @krisrhim1:https://t.co/sJ606HY5UN
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2025
Any weapon is an “assault” weapon if it is used to assault someone. For that matter, any object is an “assault” object if used maliciously.
California’s gun laws, which are among the strictest in the nation, kicked in hard. Perryman was slapped with a felony weapons charge and held without bail.
The law-abiding 10-year NFL veteran was treated like a hardened criminal. Fortunately, by Monday afternoon, Perryman was released.
No charges were filed and no trial will take place.
His agent told The Athletic, “The charges have been dismissed, and we’re grateful the matter has been resolved.”
Statement from agent Ron Butler, who represents Denzel Perryman: “The charges have been dismissed, and we’re grateful the matter has been resolved. At this time, Denzel is focused on getting back to his family and teammates.”
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) August 4, 2025
But Perryman still lost a weekend of his life in a jail cell because of California’s unconstitutional war on guns.
The so-called “assault weapons” are classified in California under vague and arbitrary standards.
A gun’s grip or stock shape can make it illegal. Never mind the fact that none of those details tend to affect lethality.
According to the California Attorney General’s Office, any semiautomatic rifle with a pistol grip, thumbhole stock, or flash suppressor might be banned.
That’s not safety, but blue-state nonsense that serves no other purpose than to keep good people disarmed.
We have no idea how many automatic weapons are on the streets in Los Angeles, and neither do city leaders and the people running the state, since they’re mostly open-borders advocates whose laws put Perryman in jail.
The entire saga is absurd.
When Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh uses Perryman to blitz the quarterback this upcoming season, will that make the league veteran an “assault linebacker?”
Speaking of Harbaugh, being the national treasure he is, he visited Perryman in jail.
Jim Harbaugh said he visited Denzel Perryman at the Inglewood jail yesterday. Said Perryman was in good spirits and they are waiting for the legal process play out.
Perryman will appear in court tomorrow morning pic.twitter.com/Q9ezDPbREs
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 4, 2025
“Love Denzel,” Harbaugh said, per ESPN. “He’s always done right. He’s never been in trouble. Got a beautiful family.”
Unfortunately, the state of California doesn’t share that kind of loyalty with its own citizens, or even with visitors (unless they’re foreign nationals who are in the country illegally).
Are California’s gun laws unconstitutional?
Perryman was supposed to appear in court on Tuesday. Instead, his record will show a detention and not a formal arrest, CBS Sports reported.
He missed training camp for nothing, but he probably would have made it there on time if — after his arrest — he had uttered the words, “No hablo inglés.”
Johnathan Jones is a journalist, novelist, and media analyst with experience as a reporter, editor, and producer across radio, television, and digital platforms. Follow him on X: @misterjkjones
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