PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Trail Blazers fined guard Sebastian Telfair on Wednesday after a loaded gun was found on the team's private jet at Boston's Logan Airport.
The handgun was found in a pillowcase belonging to Telfair as the team plane was being prepared for a flight from Boston to Toronto, the team said in a statement.
A handgun was found in a pillowcase belonging to Sebastian Telfair as the Blazers team plane was being prepared for a flight from Boston to Toronto. (Rocky Widner / Getty Images)
Telfair explained to local authorities that the gun belonged to his girlfriend and that he had inadvertently grabbed the wrong bag when leaving for the team's road trip.
"We did sweep the plane and we did find the handgun, and it was a loaded handgun," said Jennifer Peppin, a regional spokeswoman based in Seattle for the Transportation Security Administration. "Once we got that we turned it over to the state police in Boston."
The gun is registered in Oregon to Samantha Rodriguez, Telfair's girlfriend of five years.
The Trail Blazers left Portland on Feb. 7 for their five-game trip. The team was in Oklahoma City for a game against the Hornets Wednesday night.
The matter was turned over to the Massachusetts Port Authority, which said no charges would be filed.
The team fined Telfair an undisclosed amount for violating league and team policy. The NBA is reviewing the matter.
"While we had to allow the legal process to run its course, and were grateful it appears that the authorities have determined Sebastian initially made an innocent mistake, he clearly compounded the situation by making the wrong choice by not notifying the team's traveling security agent about his situation immediately," Blazers president Steve Patterson said Wednesday.
"He has apologized profusely, but he knows he must be held accountable for his actions."
The handgun was found in a pillowcase belonging to Telfair as the team plane was being prepared for a flight from Boston to Toronto, the team said in a statement.
A handgun was found in a pillowcase belonging to Sebastian Telfair as the Blazers team plane was being prepared for a flight from Boston to Toronto. (Rocky Widner / Getty Images)
Telfair explained to local authorities that the gun belonged to his girlfriend and that he had inadvertently grabbed the wrong bag when leaving for the team's road trip.
"We did sweep the plane and we did find the handgun, and it was a loaded handgun," said Jennifer Peppin, a regional spokeswoman based in Seattle for the Transportation Security Administration. "Once we got that we turned it over to the state police in Boston."
The gun is registered in Oregon to Samantha Rodriguez, Telfair's girlfriend of five years.
The Trail Blazers left Portland on Feb. 7 for their five-game trip. The team was in Oklahoma City for a game against the Hornets Wednesday night.
The matter was turned over to the Massachusetts Port Authority, which said no charges would be filed.
The team fined Telfair an undisclosed amount for violating league and team policy. The NBA is reviewing the matter.
"While we had to allow the legal process to run its course, and were grateful it appears that the authorities have determined Sebastian initially made an innocent mistake, he clearly compounded the situation by making the wrong choice by not notifying the team's traveling security agent about his situation immediately," Blazers president Steve Patterson said Wednesday.
"He has apologized profusely, but he knows he must be held accountable for his actions."
