Former NFL receiver Travis Rudolph charged with murder following shooting in Florida
Former NFL receiver Travis Rudolph has been accused of murder following a double shooting in Florida, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
The 25-year-old was charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, according to the sheriff's office. Rudolph was booked into the Main Detention Center in Palm Beach County on Wednesday, court records show.
Deputies responded shortly after midnight Wednesday to the shooting in Lake Park, authorities said. One male was found dead, another male was taken to the hospital, two others were allegedly shot at, but were not injured.
Rudolph's NFL career was short-lived, spending time with the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins in 2017 and 2018. In 2020, Rudolph signed with the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The team released Rudolph following his arrest.
Rudolph was Florida State University's leading receiver in 2015 and 2016. He opted to skip his senior year and enter the NFL draft in 2017. He went undrafted and was later signed to the Giants' practice squad, eventually being placed on the active roster after multiple starting receivers were injured. Rudolph was waived by the team in 2018 and then signed with the Dolphins' practice squad, but suffered a torn ACL on his first day of practice.
He gained national attention in 2016 when a video of him eating lunch with an autistic student during a FSU team visit at a Tallahassee middle school went viral. His father died a year later after a gun accidentally discharged at a West Palm Beach strip club.