Ex-Seahawks receiver, Super Bowl champ Ricardo Lockette arrested on felony charges

Lockette was a part of Seattle’s Super Bowl winning team.

Former Seattle Seahawks receiver and Super Bowl champion Ricardo Lockette was arrested in his home state of Georgia on Wednesday.

Lockette was facing charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, possession of a vehicle with altered VIN (felony), and felony theft by receiving stolen property. Fulton County records indicate that Lockette was released from jail on Thursday on an unsecured judicial release (in other words, released without bond), and the firearms charge has been dismissed.

Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV reports that Lockette was driving a stolen 2021 Ram 1500 TRX when police conducted a traffic stop. Here are the key details from the probable cause affidavit, as outlined in the WSB-TV report:

“The key FOB found in Mr. Lockette’s possession was for a Ram Limited, which was inconsistent with the RAM TRX he was driving,” a reporting officer wrote in the probable cause affidavit. “Further investigation revealed that the vehicle identification number displayed on the front windshield and the door jam was fraudulent.”

When investigators ran the original VIN, they determined that the truck had been reported stolen out of Atlanta on March 24, 2023 court records revealed.

Under the fake VIN, Lockette came back as the registered owner of the stolen truck that he had been driving with a suspended license.

He was also in possession of a Glock 43 9mm pistol, according to court documents.

When officers told Lockette that he had been driving a stolen truck, the Albany, Georgia native told police that he had purchased the vehicle in 2020 during the pandemic.

“He (told us) he found the vehicle on Facebook Market but couldn’t provide a date,” a responding officer wrote in his probable cause affidavit. “He stated that he went to Columbus, GA, to purchase the vehicle from a buy here pay here dealership. Again, he couldn’t provide a date of purchase or how much he paid. He stated that he couldn’t remember if he paid cash or used the bank to purchase it. He stated that the vehicle was paid off at the time of purchase”

But when police searched the truck, they found a temporary tag that had been issued on May 3, 2023, a little more than a month after it was reported stolen, according to the arrest affidavit.

Lockette spent five seasons (over two separate stints) with the Seahawks. He was signed by Seattle as an undrafted free agent out of Fort Valley State in 2011, eventually carving out a role as a reserve wide receiver (usually targeted on deep routes to take advantage of his speed) and special teams gunner. A serious neck injury suffered in 2015 influenced his decision to retire in the 2016 offseason.

Since his retirement, Lockette has served as a player advisor for the Harvard Football Players Health Study, which is “a comprehensive research program which examines the multifactorial causes that impact the health and wellbeing of former NFL players.” Lockette was most recently present at Lumen Field last season as part of the Seahawks’ 10th anniversary Super Bowl team celebration.