PEORIA, Ill.— Former NFL player and Fox Sports broadcaster Bill Maas has been charged with drug possession and weapons charges following his arrest during a roadside safety check.
Maas, 45, and a passenger in his Hummer, Sarah J. Murphy, 27, were arrested late Friday by Illinois State Police. During the stop on Illinois Route 116, police indicated Maas seemed nervous, which prompted police to request a search of the vehicle, to which Maas consented.
The search turned up a .22-caliber revolver, five grams of suspected marijuana, six grams of suspected cocaine and 28 pills of Ecstasy, according to police. Both Maas and Murphy were charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Maas was also booked on a charge of unlawful use of a weapon.
“We didn’t recognize him until about 5 p.m. this afternoon,” Trooper Tony Halsey told the Journal Star of Peoria late Saturday.
Halsey said he had no idea why Maas and Murphy, both residents of Lees Summit, Mo., were in the area.
They were taken to the Tazewell County Jail and will appear for a bond hearing Sunday before a Tazewell County Circuit court judge.
Maas was drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984, and was named the same year Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was a two-time National Football League All-Pro selection. He played with the Chiefs until 1992 and with the Green Bay Packers the following year.
In 1996, Maas joined the NFL on Fox television game reporting team and, from 1998-01, served as studio anchor and game analyst. Last season he reported games for the network.