FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Falcons defensive end John Abraham, speaking for the first time since his arrest on Monday for the misdemeanor charges of obstruction of police and obstruction of firefighters, said on Thursday that the situation was one of “bad timing.”
Abraham, a 13-year veteran, is the NFL’s active sacks leader. He signed a three-year deal worth $16.7 million to remain in Atlanta over the offseason. He was the second Falcons’ player arrested in a week after running back Michael Turner was arrested the previous week on charges of speeding and suspicion of DUI.
Abraham did not want to go into details of what happened, as he said the legal issues still need to be resolved. He has a condo at 12, the tower at the Midtown Atlanta residential and commercial development where he was arrested. According to reports, firefighters had responded to the scene as a woman was threatening to leap from the building and commit suicide. Officers were attempting to clear people from the area and Abraham was warned multiple times not to go inside police tape. He eventually was arrested when he refused to comply.
Abraham was asked on Thursday if he thought perhaps he had exercised bad judgment.
“I can’t say I did or didn’t,” Abraham said. “Like I say, sometimes I’m just going to keep saying, bad timing. I can’t say exactly what did -- you can’t really judge what happened… Trying to work through it.”
The arrest comes at a time when the Falcons are 3-0 and host NFC South Division rival Carolina on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
“I don’t fault anybody at all,” Abraham said. “Sometimes things happen in life. Sometimes (trying to do) the right things, sometimes don’t end up being the right things. So it happened.”
He said he spoke to Falcons head coach Mike Smith about the situation but did not elaborate. Smith reiterated disappointment to reporters on Tuesday as he did previously when Turner was arrested.
