On June 7, former Florida State and New York Giants wide receiver Travis Rudolph was found not guilty on one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. The trial was in relation to a 2021 incident in which Rudolph opened fire on a group of men outside his Florida home. During the trial, the defense showed text messages from Rudolph's ex encouraging her brother and three other men to "shoot up" Rudolph's house over alleged infidelity.
Rudolph's defense had initially hinged on Florida's Stand Your Ground law. However, after an appeal to have the charges tossed based on that precedent was rejected, the case went to trial. However, his team was successfully able to argue self-defense and, as mentioned, a jury found Rudolph not guilty after just two hours of deliberation.
Meek Mill Tweets Support Of Rudolph
Philly rapper Meek Mill is no stranger to legal issues. Most recently, Mill pled guilty to a misdemeanor firearms charge in 2019. Furthermore, Mill took to Twitter to publicly voice his support for Rudolph. Quote-tweeting the account Say Cheese's reporting of the not guilty verdict, Mill added his own words of support. "Blessings….. a messy asss hoe can destroy your life in 60 seconds! Now go get that 20+ for that doc series!." True crime is a popular genre right now, with new podcasts and documentaries produced all the time.
Despite Mill's urging to hit up the networks, it's unclear what Rudolph will do now. Arguably, the murder case thrust him into the national spotlight after his football career stalled out. After a solid career at Florida State, Rudolph went undrafted in 2017. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Giants and started his career on their practice squad. However, we would appear in seven games for the team due to a wave of injuries. After being released by the Giants, he signed with the Dolphins but tore his ACL on the first day of offseason camp. However, he did attempt a comeback in the CFL, but never took the field. Follow all the latest crime and sports news here at HotNewHipHop.
[via]
