What Was Terrence Cody Doing To That Alligator? Former NFL Player In Hot Water Facing Charges Of Animal Cruelty, Drugs, And More
Former defensive tackle Terrence Cody has been indicted by a grand jury in Baltimore for multiple charges including animal cruelty and illegal possession of an alligator on the same day he was cut from the Ravens.
In total, the former NFL player faces 15 charges including: two charges of aggravated animal cruelty with a dog, five counts of animal abuse or neglect with the same dog, one count of illegal possession of an alligator and five counts of animal abuse or neglect of the alligator. The charges also include possession of marijuana and intent to use paraphernalia.
The charge of aggravated animal cruelty is a result of the bull mastiff, which Cody brought to the vet, who died from unspecified conditions. If convicted of the crime, Cody faces a $5,000 fine and up to three years in prison.
Cody was a second-round pick who played in only one game with the Ravens in 2014 before he was cut from the roster Monday. Last Friday, while Cody was under investigation for animal cruelty, the Ravens announced their plans to release Terrence Cody from his contract following the Super Bowl. Cody was due to be a free agent in March at the end of the NFL year.
Baltimore Police Recently announced Cody’s indictment on Twitter and his subsequent release on $10,000 bail.
A Baltimore County Grand Jury has indicted Terrence Cody for animal cruelty. He was processed at Precinct 3 and released on $10K bail.
— BACO Public Safety (@BACOPoliceFire) February 2, 2015
Terrence Cody’s agent, Peter Schaffer said that it was all a misunderstanding and that Cody’s Bull mastiff died of worms. He followed by saying that the Ravens simply wanted to avoid controversy.
At the time of the statement of Cody’s release, Baltimore gave no official reason why they chose to let Terrence Cody go. The Ravens had five players arrested in the off-season and it is likely that they wanted to distance themselves from Cody.
Schafer told the Baltimore Sun that “This is all a result of the NFL allowing players to be convicted before they’re tried,” adding further that “If Terrence wasn’t a public figure, they wouldn’t have ever charged him. It’s just ridiculous.”
“If he was treating the dog so poorly, why would he take it to the veterinarian? They are trying to say he wanted the dog dead, which makes no sense because he loved the dog.”
Deputy state attorney for Baltimore County, John Cox, announced that Terence Cody was not under investigation for dog fighting.
Terrence Cody, the two-time consensus All-American at the University of Alabama, was drafted in 2010 and started the 2014 season unable to preform due to an off-season injury. He played a total of 57 games in his five seasons and was credited with two passes defended and 87 tackles.
