Shepherd facing charges

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER and JONATHAN MILTON
Published October 21, 2005

TAMPA - Reserve receiver Edell Shepherd was arrested shortly after Tampa Bay's victory against the Dolphins Sunday. Police said he struck an officer outside Raymond James Stadium.

Shepherd, 25, was taken into custody by Tampa police and booked for battery on a law enforcement officer, a third-degree felony. Shepherd also was charged with operating an unregistered vehicle, a misdemeanor that stemmed from a previous, unrelated case.

Shepherd declined comment Thursday as the Bucs wrapped up workouts during their bye week, but he participated in the morning workout. Coach Jon Gruden said no decision has been made about Shepherd's status because the front office is looking into the matter.

"Obviously, we're concerned about it, but we're trying to get to the bottom of what happened," Gruden said.

"We're getting some conflicting reports at this time. We're looking into it."

Gruden, who has discussed the case with Shepherd, declined to comment on specifics.

According to police, Shepherd and an unidentified man were seen leaving a vehicle in a stadium parking lot near Tampa Bay Boulevard. Shepherd then allegedly approached a pedestrian walking nearby acting "aggressively," according to a police incident report.

Uniformed TPD officer Eric Book was nearby and was said to have witnessed the incident and stepped in to prevent what he thought would be a fight, separating the subjects, according to the report. Book said that was when Shepherd struck him "on the front of his body," the report says.

Shepherd was booked and released on $2,000 bond just before 1 a.m. Monday.

The journeyman receiver has one reception for 9 yards this season and has played sparingly since 2003.

ROSTER MOVES: The Bucs made Brian Griese's status official Thursday when they placed the quarterback on injured reserve, making him ineligible to return this season. In his place, fullback Rick Razzano, a seventh-round pick who had been released Tuesday, was re-signed.

Also, safety Hamza Abdullah, another seventh-round pick, was signed to the practice squad. The Bucs are off until the team reconvenes Monday in preparation for the Oct. 30 game at San Francisco.

[Last modified October 21, 2005, 02:15:38]