By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
For now, Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver Josh Huff will be available when the team squares off against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Huff faces a multitude of charges after being arrested on the Walt Whitman bridge yesterday morning, including unlawful possession of a firearm and prohibited weapons/devices (hollow-point bullets), possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, driving under the influence, driving 63 MPH in a 45 MPH zone and obstructed view (tinted windows).
Eagles’ coach Doug Pederson was peppered with questions about the incident at this morning’s press conference, including how it affects Huff’s status with the team.
“Nothing changes right now,” Pederson said. “Again, it’s out of our hands. It’s a legal matter right now, and then we’ll get more information on it.”
After Pederson expressed his disappointment in Huff’s off-field conduct, the neophyte head coach was asked if he was also “pissed” upon hearing about the former USC Trojan’s arrest.
“I mean deep down, yeah,” Pederson said. “You’re obviously disappointed and dejected. I don’t sit in my office all day and expect something to happen. I pray that it doesn’t happen, but I’m disappointed for the choices that they make, and, you know, we learn from them and move on.”
“Is it something that I condone? No, it’s not. It goes back to being a man and making the right decisions. These guys are professional athletes, they’re young adults learning about life. These are the things that they need to focus on, and that they need to see. I’ve been through that as a player. They need to know that the decisions and choices that they make away from this building, it’s gonna affect them as a player, it’s gonna affect eventually the team and eventually it’s gonna affect their future as a player in the NFL.”
Philadelphia sports agent and attorney Jerrold Colton joined CSN Philly’s Breakfast on Broad today to discuss the possible ramifications of Huff’s arrest. Colton speculated that the receiver’s chances of avoiding a jail sentence are not favorable.
“If I were to bet right now, it’s less than 50-50,” Colton said. “He really faces a significant charge, and it’s going to be hard for him to get out of it because it’s not based on a set of circumstances of facts and eyewitnesses. This is, he had a gun in his vehicle that was in the passenger compartment and was in violation of the law.”
Yesterday’s incident marks the second time in Pederson’s short tenure as Philadelphia’s coach that one of his players has been arrested on charges of unlawfully carrying a gun.
Last month, linebacker Nigel Bradham was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm through Miami International Airport.
“I don’t necessarily understand why they need guns,” Pederson said. “Outside of maybe sport hunting. But we just continue to educate our players and continue to curb it as best we can.”
The first-year head coach exhaled a sigh of relief when the topic of conversation shifted to the New York Giants.
“Obviously they’ve got some weapons [at the] skilled-positions,” Pederson said. “Odell Beckham, [Sterling] Shepard and [Victor] Cruz, I mean these guys are dynamic receivers that can be very explosive. It’s an offense that Eli [Manning] is very familiar with, so there’s a lot of continuity there. These games always seem to come down to who has the ball last, or who takes care of the football. It’s always a tough battle between the Giants and Eagles.”
“I think the emphasis is greater [after starting 0-2 in the division], for sure. Teams that wanna make the postseason obviously have to handle their division, and right now we’ve put ourselves in a little bit of a hole. So, yeah, the importance of winning this game is probably a must for us.”
You can watch the full press conference from Pederson below.
