Account
Chiefs' Willie Gay Will Play vs. Bills Despite Arrest Wednesday for Criminal Damage
January 21, 2022
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay will play in the AFC Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Head coach Andy Reid told reporters Gay will be available despite being arrested Wednesday.
Per ESPN's Adam Teicher, Gay was released from a detention center in Johnson County, Kansas, on Thursday after pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal property damage of less than $1,000.
In a statement to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Gay's representative, Maxx Lepselter, said his client was visiting his son when he got into an argument with the child's mother and broke her vacuum cleaner.
"No one was touched … beyond the broken appliance," Lepselter said.
According to Teicher, the police report estimated the total damage at $225 for the vacuum, a cellphone screen protector, a humidifier and damage to a wall and door frame.
Gay practiced for the first time this week Friday. The second-year linebacker has established himself as a valuable starter for the Chiefs defense.
A second-round draft pick out of Mississippi State in 2020, Gay appeared in all 16 regular-season games as a rookie but missed the Chiefs' three playoff games, including Super Bowl LV, because of an ankle injury and torn meniscus.
Gay missed the first four games this season while on injured reserve. The 23-year-old appeared in 12 games during the regular season. He recorded 48 combined tackles, four pass breakups and two interceptions in 2021.
The Chiefs will host the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET with a spot in the AFC Championship Game on the line.