Buccaneers DE Da'Quan Bowers Arrested on Gun Charge at LaGuardia Airport

Da'Quan Bowers' highly anticipated development hit yet another speed bump on Monday morning. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 12:50 p.m. ET by Timothy Rapp 

Bowers might be be looking at a prison sentence of several years after bringing a loaded gun into an airport, but at least one person thinks he will be exonerated of the charges:

His attorney. From Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune:

"

The attorney representing Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da'Quan Bowers against a gun possession charge in New York City said Bowers will be exonerated.

"After a full and fair investigation of the facts and circumstances regarding this registered firearm Mr. Bowers will be fully exonerated,'' attorney Dennis Coppin wrote in an email to The Tribune on Tuesday.

"

---End of update---

According to NBC New York's Jonathan Dienst, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' young defensive end was arrested at LaGuardia Airport after it was discovered he had a loaded gun in his carry-on bag:

"

A Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was arrested at LaGuardia Airport Monday morning after police discovered he was illegally carrying a handgun, authorities said. 

Da'Quan Bowers, a defensive end for the Buccaneers, was arrested at a check-in counter after he was found with a loaded .40 caliber firearm in his carry-on bag, spokesmen for the Port Authority and the Queens District Attorney's office said. He was about to board a US Airways flight to Raleigh, North Carolina. 

The former All-American player was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. A spokesman for the Buccaneers said Bowers is currently declining to comment as the organization investigates. 

"

According to Mike Garafolo of USA Today, these are the same charges levied against Plaxico Burress after his infamous accident in a New York City nightclub, and they carry a minimum sentence of three-and-a-half years in prison.

There are a lot of ignorant ideas in this world, but trying to carry a loaded gun onto an airplane is undoubtedly among the worst. 

Bowers, of course, came into the NFL with a lot of hype. 

He fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft because of injury concerns, but after a dominant 2010 season at Clemson, many felt that a player with his type of talent would turn out to be a steal.

The young pass-rusher had a decent rookie season, playing in all 16 games and tallying 1.5 sacks to go with 25 combined tackles and four pass deflections.

But in 2012, the injury bug that many feared bit him with a torn Achilles. 

Bowers missed the first six games of the 2012 season and returned to appear in 10 games. He racked up three sacks, showing small spurts of that bright potential that had once enticed scouts and coaches. 

But this newest setback has the potential to be far worse than any injury. While the soon-to-be 23-year-old has the ability to be a stud, it wouldn't be surprising if the Bucs felt the need to cut ties after such a poor decision by the young man. 

Nevertheless, nothing is set in stone and we'll know more after Bowers goes to court, which is scheduled for Monday morning.