TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Baltimore Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller was charged with hosting high-stakes card games at his house, the site of a shootout three months ago.
Fuller was released on $5,000 bail Tuesday night after a search
warrant was served at the house. The felony charge carries a
possible five-year state prison sentence and $5,000 fine.
State law allows card players to gamble up to $10 a hand, but
sheriff's spokeswoman Linda Butler said Wednesday some pots were
worth thousands of dollars, and games were held several times a week.
When some 20 law enforcement officers broke up the game, called
"Georgia skins," they seized "thousands of dollars" that were
on the table, Butler said.
Authorities were unsure if the shooting was related to the card games.
"He did tell us he plays card games at his home with friends
and relatives," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "There
is a due process and we believe in that."
Newsome said Fuller plans to play in a charity basketball game Friday
at Florida A&M and participate in Ravens activities in Baltimore in May and June.
Butler's agent, Roosevelt Barnes, did not immediately return a call.
Fuller, a nine-year veteran out of Florida State, reported
exchanging gunfire with an intruder outside his home in January. No
one was injured and about 20 shots were fired. Fuller offered a
$10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
The gambling investigation began in February, and an undercover agent
with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement attended some games.
Eleven people were at Fuller's home at the time of the raid, and
eight were arrested, Butler said. Five others are being sought on warrants.
All but one were from Tallahassee and none of the others charged was an athlete.