Ex-NFL Player Threatens To Shoot Funeral Home Employees

Scottsdale, AZ – Former National Football League player Richie Incognito was arrested Monday after he threatened to get guns from his vehicle and shoot employees of a funeral home while making arrangements for his father’s funeral.

Police were called to the Messinger Pinnacle Peak Mortuary at about 3:30 p.m. where Incognito was making a disturbance, according to The Arizona Republic.

"Incognito reportedly was upset with staff and began to damage property inside the business and shout at employees," Scottsdale Police Sergeant Ben Hoster told the Arizona Republic in an email.

"At several points during his contact with staff, Incognito threatened to retrieve guns from his vehicle and return to shoot the employees," the sergeant said.

Incognito was charged with misdemeanor of disorderly conduct and making threats, according to ESPN.

Incognito, 35, has been in the news in recent years for off-the-field incidents.

The 12-year-veteran of the NFL was selected to four Pro Bowls during his career. He was released from the Buffalo Bills in May.

Incognito was involved in a disturbance at a Boca Raton gym in May.

Police said that he was at the LifeTime Fitness gym when Incognito allegedly threw a tennis ball and then a dumbbell at a man for no apparent reason, according to TMZ.

The victim told TMZ that Incognito was rambling about the government and yelling at the man to “get off my f--king playground."

Incognito left with police but wasn’t arrested right away. ESPN reported that police believed Incognito was in an “altered, paranoid” state. ESPN reported that Incognito believed that “ordinary citizens were government officials that were tracking and recording him.”

He was detained and put under involuntary psychiatric evaluation, according to USA Today.

Incognito told the Associated Press that he was back in Arizona after spending three days in a mental hospital.

He then told ESPN that the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks had contacted him about playing in the upcoming NFL season. However, Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer said that was “totally false.”

Incognito called Zimmer a “liar” in a profanity-filled post on Twitter but then later apologized to Zimmer, according to ESPN.

Incognito was also suspended by the Miami Dolphins in 2013 amid allegations that he bullied teammate Jonathan Martin, according to USA Today. A report paid for by the NFL identified Incognito as one of three players who “engaged in a pattern of harassment” of Martin.