Terrelle Pryor, 36, was arrested on drug possession charges in Pennsylvania last month, NY Post reported, adding another legal chapter to the former NFL receiver’s troubled post-football life.
Pryor was a back-seat passenger in a black Mercedes pulled over for speeding near Monroeville, Pennsylvania, on May 24. Police filed a misdemeanor drug possession charge in Allegheny County Magisterial District Court.
Ex-Jets WR Terrelle Pryor Arrested on Drug Possession Charges
Officers noted Pryor was lying in the backseat in an “odd” manner, breathing heavily enough that the rise and fall of his chest was visible through his shirt, according to the criminal complaint cited by WPXI.
Police spotted a rifle barrel on the floor of the vehicle before ordering Pryor out of the car.
As Pryor reached for his wallet to produce identification and what he described as a concealed carry permit, officers say they observed a clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance believed to be MDMA.
That observation produced the drug possession charge. Both things can be true simultaneously – the concealed carry permit may be legitimate, and the substance still triggers criminal exposure.
This Is Not Pryor’s First Legal Issue Since Leaving the NFL
Pryor was stabbed and arrested following a domestic incident in Pittsburgh in 2019, later pleading guilty to a harassment citation as part of a plea agreement. In 2021, he faced charges of simple assault, harassment, and damaging property.
The Allegheny County case will move through preliminary hearings, with lab confirmation of the suspected MDMA likely determining whether the misdemeanor charge holds or gets reduced.
Pryor is a prominent Western Pennsylvania figure – a standout at Jeannette High School – which amplifies local scrutiny considerably.
Pryor Bounced Through the NFL Before Landing Briefly With the Jets
Pryor was originally a third-round pick in the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft, spending three seasons with the Oakland Raiders as a backup quarterback before the Cleveland Browns converted him to receiver in 2016.
He delivered a legitimate 1,000-yard season immediately, which made his inability to hold a roster spot afterward genuinely frustrating to watch.
The honest qualifier sits right next to that – the talent was always real, but it never translated into consistent NFL production.
Pryor last appeared in an NFL game in 2018, splitting time between six games with the New York Jets and two games with the Buffalo Bills.
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