Raiders defensive end Charles Snowden faces a charge of driving under the influence, according to court records.
In a statement, the Raiders said, “The Raiders are aware of the incident involving Charles Snowden and have been in contact with the NFL and local authorities. The club will not comment further as this is a legal matter.”
Court records indicate Snowden was released without bail and does not have a court hearing until April.
The Metropolitan Police Department refused to release his arrest report, citing “law enforcement privilege.”
Snowden was one of three Raiders players who appeared at an April anti-DUI event in Las Vegas in which local police officers who had made a significant number of DUI arrests in 2023 were recognized and victims of DUI crashes were remembered.
The Heroes and Handcuffs ceremony, organized by the local Stop DUI advocacy group and held at the Nevada Highway Patrol’s Southern Command offices on West Sunset Road, also saw Snowden and fellow Raiders Jordan Meredith and Michael Mayer posing for a photo with the children of Highway Patrol trooper Alberto Felix, who, with Sgt. Michael Abbate, was struck and killed by a drunk driver in November 2023.
Snowden isn’t the first Raiders player to be accused of impaired driving.
Former wide receiver Henry Ruggs killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor in November 2021 while driving drunk in his Corvette on Rainbow Boulevard at speeds of up to 156 miles per hour.
Prosecutors said Ruggs’ blood alcohol level was .016, twice the legal limit. He was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
He has since been transferred to a transitional housing facility that allows inmates to work in the community.
This February, defensive end Janarius Robinson was arrested on suspicion of DUI on the Strip. Court records show that he pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge in October.
And in July, former Raiders safety Roderic Teamer pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge after being accused of speeding to meet the team’s curfew. A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper said he was “overwhelmed” by the smell of marijuana when he pulled Teamer over.
The Raiders signed Snowden, 26, to their practice squad in December 2023, then signed the defensive end to a futures contract after the 2023-24 season.
Despite a strong spring and summer, the Raiders cut Snowden at the end of training camp. But when defensive end Malcolm Koonce was lost to a season-ending knee injury just days before the season opener, Snowden was signed to the active roster.
He has remained there since and played in all 13 games, including seven starts. He has 30 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three tackles for losses.
Snowden went undrafted out of Virginia in 2021 before signing with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent. He played two games with the Bears as a rookie, then moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad in 2022.
Review-Journal Assistant Sports Editor Ben Gotz, Reporter Vincent Bonsignore, Digital Content Producer Tony Garcia, and Assistant City Editor Brett Clarkson contributed to this report.
