Travis Rudolph speaks out after being acquitted in deadly shooting incident - “I'm at peace with everything”
Travis Rudolph has opened up after he was acquitted of all charges in the shooting incident he was involved in.
The incident took place on April 7, 2021, in Palm Beach county. Four assailants, Keishaun Jones, Tyler Robinson, Chris Lowe and Sebastian Jean-Jacques, came to confront Travis Rudolph at his mother's house. In the ensuing confrontation, the footballer opened fire with an AR-15 rifle and fired 39 rounds. Sebastian Jean-Jacques was killed and Tyler Robinson was injured.
Based on evidence introduced by Rudolph's attorney, his ex-partner Dominique Jones instructed her brother Keishaun to "shoot up" his house. Tyler Robinson also had a gun and while he maintained that he never pointed it at Travis Rudolph, it was argued otherwise by the defendant.
Utlimately, the case hinged on whether the former NFL player acted in self defense. After deliberating over three hours, the jury found him not guilty and acquitted him of all charges.
After the verdict, Travis Rudolph said that he has been prayerful and he has prayed for the deceased in the incident. He also said that he never thought he would be in the situation where he would have to kill someone. Utlimately, he said that he is now at peace with it all, though. His words were:
"I mean, honestly, I'm at peace with everything. And I even pray. I even prayed on Sebastian, I pray on Sebastian and his family. And I just like, like, I'm at peace with it all. Like, it's just it's an unfortunate situation like, I mean, to this day, like it's like a blur to me like, like, I never thought in a million years that I would ever have to kill anyone."
“I never thought in a million years that I would have to kill anyone” - Travis Rudolph
Travis Rudolph felt his life and the lives of his loved ones were in danger. So, he did what he thought he had to in order to protect them. The former FSU star says, he’s “at peace” with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/piQ4Uwew4b
Travis Rudolph's career upended by the incident
The incident effectively finished Travis Rudolphs's professional football career. Before this, he was a wide receiver who played college football at Florida State. After going undrafted in 2017, he was selected by the New York Giants.
He was let go by the team and signed with the Miami Dolphins as a practice squad member in 2018. By 2020, he had moved leagues and was playing in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Coming out of the COVID pandemic, opportunities were hard to come by but he had made the practice squad of the Canadian franchise. However, he was released the same day the shooting incident happened.
BREAKING: #Bombers release former #NFL receiver Travis Rudolph following murder charges
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#Winnipeg l #ForTheW l #CFL l #Giants l #FSU https://t.co/2QIR8FIE30
Even though he has been acquitted of all charges, the effect of the incident on his personal and professional life was, and remains, profound.