Just when fans thought that the season could not get any worse for the New York Knicks, their starting point guard, Raymond Felton, was arrested on gun charges early Tuesday morning after a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He was charged with second and third-degree criminal possession of a firearm, which are felonies, and fourth-degree possession of a firearm, a misdemeanor. Police said Felton was in possession of a gun he wasn’t registered to own.
His wife, Ariane Raymondo-Felton, has alleged that he threatened her with the firearm, according to multiple reports. Before the Monday night game, an attorney for Raymondo-Felton arrived at a Manhattan police precinct with a pistol. Raymondo-Felton later went to the precinct that night and made a statement to detectives and the New York Knicks point guard remained in police custody Tuesday after his arrest for gun charges. Felton turned himself in at 12:50 a.m.
What’s most imperative to note about this case is just how much the NBA has stressed firearm policies in the past. In 2010, it had been revealed that Wizards players Javaris Crittenton and Gilbert Arenas were illegally bringing firearms into an arena. This resulted in both players being suspended for the rest of that season. Both players were out of the league entirely just a few years later.
So, putting this into consideration, why did Felton feel that he needed to own a firearm? More importantly, why did he neglect to register it? It’s obvious that the NBA doesn’t take the matter of weapons lightly, so why even dabble in it? Maybe Felton believes that as a high-profile athlete, he has to have protection with him at all costs.
But, realize that Felton is an athlete in New York, one of the states with the most strict gun possession laws. Let’s not forget about the Plaxico Burress firearm case. In 2009, after accidentally shooting himself in the leg with an unauthorized firearm, the New York Giants wide receiver had been indicted by the grand jury on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and a single count of reckless endangerment in the second degree, both felonies. Burress accepted a plea deal that put him in prison for 20 months with an additional two years of supervised release.
After short stints with the Jets and Steelers, Burress found himself out of the NFL after what could have been a Hall of Fame career. As a result of New York’s strict firearm laws, Burress found himself out of a career. Again, with that considered, why would Felton feel the need to own a firearm in New York, of all places, and not register it? Does he believe that he is above the law because he is an NBA player? These are questions that we will not know the answer to for some while, but regardless, the charges against Felton are enough to put him behind bars for a significant amount of time.
An immediate challenge for Felton is whether he can travel with the Knicks and leave the state of New York while facing the charges. It will also be the first big test of new NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s tenure. As part of the bail process, Felton will have to convince a judge that he is not a risk or danger to the public, and that he needs to travel with the Knicks in order to fulfill his employment contract. But, what if he is unable to convince the judge? The Knicks could very well release Felton and he could remain without employment for the length of his possible imprisonment. Ultimately, that could leave the rest of his NBA career in imbalance.
All of this information piled on top of the fact that the New York Knicks are having a terrible season has Knicks fans, myself included, absolutely fed up with the team and its players. Raymond Felton headlines these disappointing players. This season, the nine-year NBA veteran is shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three-point range while averaging just 10.4 points per game. This is very abysmal compared to the numbers that he put up in previous stints with the Knicks and throughout his career.
As the starting point guard, Felton has seen the Knicks accumulate a dismal 21-36 record as of press time. In the midst of a struggling season, the Knicks have tried to put together a few trade deals that involved Felton, however, all of them fell through. Now, it is unknown whether he will play again this season, next year or ever again in the NBA.
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