Former NFL player tackles Florida city over First Amendment

Police trespassed Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp after the “disruption” of a city council meeting.TAMPA (CN) — Former NFL player Warren Sapp sued the city of Tampa on Wednesday, accusing city officials of violating his First Amendment rights by trespassing him from city hall.In the 13-page complaint filed in federal court, Sapp claims he went to city hall on Sept. 17 to pick up paperwork from an office adjacent to the city council chambers, which was in session.While Sapp was in the building, city officials interrupted their meeting, the Hall of Fame defensive tackle says, locked the chamber’s doors and called the police, who trespassed him from the premises.“The First Amendment does not permit a municipality to transform disagreement, irritation, criticism, anticipated expression or an unwanted citizen’s presence in a public governmental forum into grounds for official retaliation,” Sapp, 53, says in the complaint. “By invoking municipal authority to exclude plaintiff from city hall and interfere with his ability to access and petition his local government, the city crossed a constitutional line.”A video of the proceedings shows city council chair Alan Clendenin interrupting the meeting over a commotion outside the chambers and leaving for a few minutes. Upon returning, he directed a staff member to lock the doors.“I am ruling the folks that are in our offices that are being disruptive to city council procedures out of order,” Clendenin said. “I have asked them to leave the premises, and they have refused to leave the premises.”Tampa police confirmed Sapp was trespassed for the day.When reached for comment, a spokesman said the city does not comment on pending litigation.This is not the first confrontation between the NFL star and government officials.In February, Sapp and two other men went to the Tampa City Center to submit public records requests while recording their interactions. According to police, they did not sign in and an officer responded to complaints from employees. The men left the center but returned minutes later and police trespassed them.In May, Sapp entered a restricted area of a city hall in Hollywood, Florida with a camera and ended up with a misdemeanor charge of “interference with city employees in the performance of official duties.”Sapp played professional football for 13 seasons, mostly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.Sapp seeks a trial by jury and “nominal damages.” He is represented by Anthony F. Sabatini of the Sabatini Law Firm.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads