Panthers T Rasheed Walker Enters Pretrial Diversion Program

After Walker was released on his own recognizance, a court date was set for March 19. A pretrial diversion program in this case has been offered and accepted, Joe Person of The Athletic writes. As a result, Walker’s charges will be cleared provided he avoids any further arrests in the next six months.

At the time of his arrest, the 26-year-old was unaware of the fact he could not travel with his firearm – which is registered in Wisconsin – to New York without the required credentials for inspection at the airport. Walker’s agent declined to comment on the latest development in the case, one which will eliminate the possibility of any potential league discipline stemming from the original arrest. League spokesman Brian McCarthy also declined to comment on the matter.

Despite his age and experience on the blindside (48 starts), Walker’s free agent market did not develop as planned. The former Packer took a one-year Panthers contract with a base value of $4MM. Incentives can push the deal’s maximum value to $10MM, and playing time early in the season is likely with incumbent left tackle Ikem Ekwonu continuing a lengthy recovery from knee surgery.

When speaking to the media earlier this week, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan noted the team did its homework on Walker’s arrest before signing him. That suggested no league discipline would be forthcoming, and this latest update thus comes as no surprise. Barring any further legal issues, Walker will be able to fully focus his attention on training camp in advance of his debut Carolina season.