The U.S. taxpayers are on the hook for the legal bills of a multi-millionaire NFL player’s dad, who has been charged with killing a federally protected bald eagle.
Rodney Thomas, 50, the father of Indianapolis Colts safety Rodney Thomas II, was arrested in May after authorities say he used an air rifle to down a bald eagle just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This week, authorities assigned a public defender to assist Thomas in his case after he filed financial reports showing he could not afford an attorney, Fox News reported.
Last year, the Indianapolis Star reported that the suspect’s son, Thomas II, signed a four-year deal worth an estimated $3,755,384, with a signing bonus of $95,384.
Safety Rodney Thomas II, #25 of the Indianapolis Colts, warms up before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 13, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Colts beat the Raiders 25-20. (Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Thomas was reportedly identified as a suspect in the eagle’s death and turned himself in to authorities in May.
He has been charged with a federal misdemeanor of taking a Bald Eagle in violation of the Bald Eagle Protection Act.
UPDATE on death of BALD EAGLE. The federal government has CHARGED 50-YEAR-OLD RODNEY THOMAS of Canonsburg. Officials say he shot a mature bald eagle with an air rifle on May 12 in Mount Pleasant. #WTAE pic.twitter.com/0gcP3j9AfP
— Marcie Cipriani (@MCipriani_WTAE) July 18, 2023
The player’s father is scheduled to undergo arraignment on Tuesday. He could face a maximum of a year in jail and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
The eagle that Thomas allegedly gunned down was part of a nesting pair that had just welcomed a pair of hatchlings into the world, according to locals who had followed the pair. The two had been documented as nesting in the area for nearly 20 years.
Bald eagles, which reportedly mate for life, are federally protected, and serious consequences await anyone who might be caught killing one.
The eagle population has rebounded in the Keystone State since 1980, when only three mated pairs were known to exist. Today, thanks to the protections put in place, there are more than 300 pairs.
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