A Nigerian NFL hopeful and London Olympian Lawrence Okoye, has been arrested alongside 13 others people in a prostitution sting in Alabama, USA.
Okoye was snared by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force four days before he was due to make his debut for the Birmingham Iron in the inaugural Alliance of American Football league.
A police statement said about the case:
“On Wednesday, February 6, 2019, the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force (SCDETF), in partnership with the Hoover Police Department, conducted an undercover reverse prostitution sting, titled Operation Close Out, Round 3.
“The operation was carried out in North Shelby County.
“The operation is a continuation from September 20th, and October 18th, 2018, in which 20 total offenders were previously arrested.
“13 men were arrested and charged with the crime of Soliciting Prostitution.”
The 6ft 6in Okoye, 27, was arrested on Wednesday and was released from the Shelby County Jail Thursday after posting a $1,000 bond.
Okoye missed the Iron’s opening game against the Memphis Express with a groin injury.
‘We’ve been made aware of it. We are in the process of gathering all the information,’ Iron head coach Tim Lewis said on Friday.
Croydon-born Okoye attended Whitgift School and won the Daily Mail Schools’ Under 18 Cup in 2010.
An academy player at both Wasps and London Irish, Okoye opted to focus on the discus and he competed in London 2012, finishing 12th. He holds the British record with a throw of of 68.24metres.
Okoye, who was offered a place to study law at Oxford University, switched sport again heading Stateside.
After declaring for the NFL Draft, he was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad in 2013.
He joined the Arizona Cardinals two years later, but was cut after parking his car in the space of head coach Bruce Arians.
Okoye also had short spells with the New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins before playing in Canada in 2017.
In October, he joined the Iron, but has made headlines for the wrong reasons ahead of the first weekend of the Alliance of American Football, a professional league featuring eight teams and several former NFL players.
Considering all his achievements, why on earth would he be involved in a prostitution ring? Do leave your comments.
