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Broncos safety Quinton Carter was hurt most of last season, and the contract he signed as a rookie in 2011 is pretty modest by NFL standards — $2.495 million over four years. That’s barely enough to buy a new Escalade each Christmas!
Still, it’s tough for us to believe Carter is so hard up for cash that he needed to cheat a Las Vegas casino over $15. And if he didn’t need the dough, he’s an incredible schmuck — because he’s been charged with a crime that could net him up to six years in prison.
As noted by his Wikipedia page, Carter was born in Vegas and played at Cheyenne High School there. His position at that time was quarterback, but he switched to safety during the four years he spent playing for the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
While there, Carter caught the attention of the Broncos, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 draft, and he got plenty of playing time as a rookie. Indeed, he memorably picked off Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in Denver’s miracle wild-card victory during his first season — the one in which Tim Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in overtime.
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But as noted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Carter hurt his knee over the summer and only got into three games this past season. As a result, he presumably had plenty of free time on his idle hands.
And we hear those are the devil’s workshop — which brings us to Saturday night at the Texas Station casino. Carter was shooting craps, and according to police, he was caught on video beefing up three bets with extra $5 chips after the dice had already rolled.
That may sound like no big deal. But in a town built on gambling, trying to cheat the house, no matter by how little, is the equivalent of pissing on Meyer Lansky’s grave. No wonder Carter was arrested on suspicion of committing a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment, times three.
After the news broke, Carter tweeted a statement — one undoubtedly enhanced credibility-wise by his Twitter name of Diddy and the address @SinCityBuck. Here’s what he had to say:
This kind of charge is likely to go away at a certain point, likely after a wrist-slap rather than the one-to-six years in prison and $10,000 fine the offenses could net. But given that he also has an outstanding warrant in his name because he didn’t bother completing counseling after a guilty plea in a 2011 misdemeanor marijuana possession case, he could totally find a way to schmuck things up….
Here’s a larger look at Carter’s mug shot.
More from our Schmuck of the Week archive: “Sarah Wolfe and pals accused of schmucky plan to smuggle drugs into jail.”