In a staggering report by USA Today Friday, NFL players estimated that 75 percent of them are gun owners.
Now there is one fewer.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was ordered to surrender his arsenal -- an AK-47 and six other guns -- after his girlfriend accused him of punching her and dragging her alongside his car with their two children inside in September, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Suggs does not face criminal charges, but a temporary protective order filed by Candace Williams Nov. 20 did result in the court-ordered loss of his firearms, Suggs' lawyer, Warren Alperstein, told the Sun. Suggs' lawyer emphasized to the paper that the court found no wrongdoing, that Suggs was in lawful possession of the weapons and that the attorney expects a favorable resolution.
Suggs filed a custody complaint on Nov. 19, ESPN wrote.
Media scrutiny of gun ownership among NFL players has increased after Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend and later himself on Dec. 1. The day after the shooting, NBC broadcaster Bob Costas spoke out on the issue at halftime during NBC's "Sunday Night Football," saying, "If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league asks players not to own guns, NBC Sports noted. But former running back Thomas Jones told USA Today that many players feel they need the protection because of their greater wealth and visibility.
According to a 2011 Gallup Poll, 47 percent of American adults report owning a firearm.