Texans security orchestrated a sting to catch a man who was trying to extort money from the team, the Houston Chronicle reports.
According to the Chronicle, Chaz Colt Davis told the team he had photos that allegedly showed rookie tight end Mike McFarland smoking marijuana and he would turn them over to news outlets if he wasn't paid.
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Chaz Davis walks into court wearing handcuffs & an orange jumpsuit. He is accused of trying to blackmail the Texans. pic.twitter.com/ZiKypSKD2y
— Gianna Caserta (@GiannaCaserta) October 29, 2015Texans security chief Emmett Baylor met Davis at a restaurant near NRG Stadium and gave him $3,000 in exchange for a phone that held the supposedly incriminating pictures. Houston police were on the scene and they arrested Davis and his girlfriend as they left the restaurant.
Davis, 27, has a lengthy criminal record including car theft, burglary, and, most recently, possession of a controlled substance.
McFarland, an undrafted free agent out of South Florida, was on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain suffered in the preseason, but the Texans released him with an injury settlement earlier this week.
A source told the Chronicle the Texans made the move because McFarland could be involved in a "potentially embarrassing legal situation."
