Former Buccaneers Hall of Fame defender suing Florida police department for $20 million after unlawful arrest

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the elite franchises in the NFL in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, with Tony Dungy and then Jon Gruden leading the NFL franchise to the playoffs seven times between 1997 and 2007. 

Dungy led the Bucs to the postseason in four out of his six seasons leading the squad from 1996 to 2001, but they could never get over the hump and reach a Super Bowl. Despite having some of the most elite players in the NFL like Warrick Dunn, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay’s best season under Dungy came in 1999, where they finished the regular season with a (11-5) record and reached the NFC Championship game in a matchup vs. the St. Louis Rams. 

But on a road trip to St. Louis, the Buccaneers were eliminated from the playoffs in a battle of two of the top defenses in the league, falling 11-6 and missing a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Dungy led the Bucs to the playoffs the next two seasons but they were knocked out in the wildcard round in both 2000 and 2001. Due to the team’s postseason struggles, Tampa Bay fired Dungy following the 2001 playoff loss. 

Gruden then took over as head coach — and with a roster largely assembled and developed by Dungy’s staff — he led Tampa Bay over the hurdle in his first season as head coach, as the Buccaneers beat the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII 48-21. 

Both Brooks and Sapp were inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame following their dominant careers in Tampa. 

With Tampa Bay, Sapp made seven Pro Bowl appearances, earned first-team All-Pro honors four times, and played a critical part in winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl. 

Following his playing days, Sapp has recently embarked on a career in coaching.g it. He spent 2024 serving as a senior quality control assistant at Colorado on Deion Sanders’ staff. 

But according to Andy Slater of FOX Sports 640, Sapp is currently filing an $20 million lawsuit after alleging a wrongful arrest last year in Okeechobee, Fla. 

Details of the arrest were not available, but Slater posted a video that showed the entire incident. It appeared as if Sapp stopped with several other citizens to witness police issue a speeding ticket for a young man. The former NFL player then began to speak out against the police, who falsely claimed the young man was speeding double the limit. 

You can watch the video of the arrest here. 

Finally, an officer told Sapp he was obstructing justice and to be quiet, but the former Bucs star insisted he had freedom of speech and obstructing would mean he was physically intervening, which he was not. Then toward the end of the video, the officer eventually loses his temper and handcuffs Sapp, claiming he was being detained. 

On the video it was clear Sapp didn’t commit a crime — and while it’s unclear what he was actually arrested for — Slater noted the state attorney dropped the charges against Sapp just days after the interaction, stating the actions of the police were not legal.

This is certainly a story to keep an eye on moving forward as it appears Sapp has sufficient grounds for a lawsuit.