Steelers cornerback Justin Layne is in the Lake County, Ohio jail after being arrested early Friday morning and is charged with driving under suspension, a speed limit violation and having a firearm in his vehicle.
The incident took place on Friday at 3:08 a.m. in the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby Hills, Ohio.
Ohio law prohibits any person from knowingly transporting or having in a motor vehicle a loaded firearm that is accessible to the operator or any passenger.
KDKA Pittsburgh reported that Willoughby Hills police chief Matthew Naegele said that Layne also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest and that there was marijuana in the car.
Layne’s only record in Pennsylvania is a ticket for illegally parking on a sidewalk in 2019.
Layne, 23, is a Cleveland native. He was drafted by the Steelers out of Michigan State in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
During his two years with the Steelers Layne has played sparingly on defense. After playing exclusively on special teams his rookie year, Layne was used in 11% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2020 and was passed for playing time by undrafted rookie James Pierre toward the end of the season.
However, with the departures of Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton, Layne was expected to compete for a more prominent role in the Steelers secondary in 2021.