How the Kansas City Chiefs say Frank Clark is juggling his L.A. court case and football
A day after a Chiefs victory in Philadelphia, defensive end Frank Clark entered a not guilty plea in Los Angeles to two counts of possession of an assault weapon.
Two days later, on Wednesday afternoon, Clark was back at Chiefs practice, trying to get his hamstring healthy enough to play for the first time in three weeks.
The two circumstances — football and off-the-field issues — will run in tandem for the duration of the season. Another court date looms. Clark is due back in court on Jan. 17 — during a potential playoff run.
“Listen, when he’s in the building, he’s good,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “I’m sure that’s on his mind. I’m sure. When he’s here, he’s about football and trying to make sure he’s doing his job to the best of his ability.
“And getting healthy right now, that’s the primary thing. I think he’s in a pretty good place with that.”
The pleas in Los Angeles stem from two separate incidents — one on March 13 and another on June 20. In the former, Clark and another man were pulled over, at which point officers say they recovered two loaded guns from the vehicle, including a KELTEC SUB-2000 assault rile. In June, Clark was pulled over for a vehicle code violation, when officers say they noticed an UZI submachine gun in the car.
Clark could face up to three years in prison, though the L.A. County District Attorney’s office told The Star it has not yet determined the sentence it will seek.
That’s the off-the-field arena in which Clark finds himself.
His on-the-field work has been limited to just one appearance in the opening month of the season. Clark injured his hamstring in training camp and missed the Chiefs’ season opener against Cleveland. After playing in Baltimore in Week 2, Clark sat the ensuing two games, including Sunday’s win at Philadelphia.
He’ll attempt to play Sunday against the visiting Bills.
Clark has spoken to the media only once — after the Chiefs’ loss to the Ravens — since his second arrest.
“I was advised not to speak on it until further notice, but my legal team is taking care of everything,” Clark said then. “I have full confidence in everything that they’re doing.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 12:57 PM.