Former Jaguars LB Telvin Smith arrested, charged with unlawful sexual activity with minor
Former NFL linebacker Telvin Smith was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of unlawful sexual activity with a minor or minors, according to online jail records in Duval County, Florida.
According to an arrest and booking report obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Smith was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at his home at approximately 4 p.m. and booked into jail a little more than an hour later. He was being held on a $50,000 bond as of early Wednesday evening.
According to the report, Smith was arrested as a result of an incident that occurred last fall, between 10 p.m. on Aug. 31 and noon on Sept. 1. The document did not provide additional details about the incident.
Smith faces a charge of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, which is a second-degree felony under Florida law app applicable to any person 24 or older who engages in sexual activity with a person who is 16 or 17 years old.
Smith, 29, announced in May that he would be stepping away from football for an undetermined amount of time after spending five seasons in the NFL, all with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He announced on Instagram at the time that he was taking time off from the sport to “get my world in order.”
Smith was placed on the Jaguars’ reserve/retired list after his announcement.
A fifth-round pick out of Florida State in 2014, Smith became a key figure for the Jaguars’ defense and helped the team reach the AFC Championship Game in the 2017 season, when he was selected to the Pro Bowl.
“The Jaguars are aware of the report involving former linebacker Telvin Smith,” the team said in a statement Wednesday. “The club is unable to comment further on this ongoing investigation.”
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
