Former NFL wide receiver Jabar Gaffney had a warrant issued for his arrest this week after he allegedly vandalized the car of ex-teammate Lito Sheppard.
Sheppard, a former two-time Pro Bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles who played with Gaffney at the University of Florida, came out of a Jacksonville Beach restaurant last month and found that the tires had been slashed on his BMW. His car later broke down when he was driving home, and surveillance footage showed someone — allegedly Gaffney — pouring a contaminant inside the car’s fuel tank while it was parked. The damage added up to $14,000.
According to a report from WJXT, Gaffney has been charged with felony criminal mischief and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Sheppard, who also went to high school with Gaffney, has also filed a temporary restraining order to keep Gaffney away from him and his family. In his petition for injunction, Sheppard states that Gaffney has been harassing him for years over a false allegation that Sheppard had an affair with Gaffney’s wife.
Gaffney and Sheppard were once close friends, but some angry tweets Gaffney sent years ago indicated the two had a falling out. At the time, Gaffney denied that his issues with Sheppard had anything to do with the marital problems he was also having.
Gaffney has denied the vandalism allegation through his attorney and said both he and other people have agreed the man on the surveillance footage has no resemblance to him. The 37-year-old has been in trouble with the law numerous times over the past several years, most recently when he was arrested on a domestic battery charge last September.
