Steelers cornerback Justin Layne charged with traffic, firearm violations in Ohio

Police in Ohio arrested Steelers cornerback Justin Layne on Friday morning for alleged traffic and firearms violations, court records show.

Ohio court records show Layne, 23, was charged Friday by Willoughby police with driving with a suspended license, speeding, and transporting a loaded firearm, which is a fourth-degree felony.

Records indicate Layne was arraigned via video around 8:30 a.m.

Willoughby Police could not immediately be reached for comment.

Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said the team is “aware of the incident but still gathering information.

“We will have no further comment at this time,” he said.

A third-round pick in 2019, Layne is entering his third year with the Steelers. He was recruited to Michigan State University as a wide receiver but was converted to cornerback as a freshman and had played the position for less than three years when the Steelers drafted him.

Because of his inexperience, Layne was slow to get on the field in the NFL. He appeared in 10 games as a rookie, playing exclusively on special teams.

Layne became a minor part of the defense in his second season, playing 11% of the defensive snaps while also emerging as a core special teams player. By the end of the season, however, Layne was surpassed by undrafted free agent James Pierre on the depth chart. Layne didn’t play at all on defense in the Steelers’ 48-37 loss to Cleveland in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Layne is a Cleveland native. His selection by the Steelers in the 2019 draft caused his father, a lifelong Browns fan, to memorably repaint the family bathroom from brown and orange to black and gold in honor of his son’s NFL team.