OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — Former NFL player and Super Bowl XXXVII champion Warren Sapp is asking Okeechobee County for $20 million in damages, according to documents WPTV obtained from public records requests to Okeechobee County and the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO).
The “notice of a claim” document Sapp’s attorney filed with the county claims deputies violated his civil rights after he was “maliciously and falsely arrested and illegally detained” by the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Department. According to the letter, this stems from Sapp being arrested in the county on Feb. 24, 2024.
WATCH: Warren Sapp claims Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office violated his civil rights
Sapp’s attorney said his client was arrested and removed from a charitable event in which he had been a participant for 12 years. He also said in the letter his client was a bystander/participant in a convoy from Miami throughout Florida to raise money for charity.
According to the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office Computer Assisted Dispatch, the agency received calls about multiple “high-end” and “luxury” vehicles driving at "over 100 mph" almost creating crashes in the county. According to body camera footage, a deputy pulled one car over after she said her radar caught him driving at around 65 mph where the speed limit was 35 mph.
The driver was a man from New Jersey. But, body camera footage WPTV received from the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office shows a crowd forming around the gas station after the deputy couldn’t print the citation on her ticket. NFL Hall of Fame Defensive Lineman Sapp was a part of the crowd and started talking with the deputy before being detained.
WATCH: Body camera footage of Warren Sapp being detained
According to the body camera footage, the deputy told Sapp he was being detained for interfering with an investigation after he didn’t tell deputies his name.
According to the investigation narrative WPTV received from the OCSO, the deputy said he tried to put the man in a patrol car after the crowd started chanting “set him free,” but he continued to “tense up and plant his feet to the ground” before placing Sapp under arrest.
WATCH: Crowd chants 'set him free' after Sapp detained
Eventually, Sapp was transported to the Okeechobee County Jail. WPTV obtained body camera footage video of a supervisor talking with Sapp.
DEPUTY: I’m Sergeant Ellis. I’m the road patrol supervisor. You wanted to speak to a supervisor.
SAPP: I was wondering you were outside the gas station when they drove away, right?
DEPUTY: Yes.
SAPP: How come we didn’t have a conversation there?
DEPUTY: You were already in the back of a patrol car and we needed to get you out there as quickly as possible.
SAPP: That’s what you came up with?
DEPUTY: That’s what happened.
According to a memo from the State Attorney’s Office that WPTV received from a public records request, Assistant State Attorney Ashley Albright said the law wouldn’t support a conviction in the case.
“While [Sapp’s] intentional actions and statements were no doubt frustrating and annoying to the point of distracting the deputies, the strict requirements of the law will not support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt,” Albright wrote.
Sapp’s attorney said Sapp was unable to sleep and his son’s birthday was negatively affected by the February incident from last year in the “notice of a claim” filed in December 2024. Sapp’s attorney also said the Florida Sheriff’s Risk Management Fund, an organization created and owned by Florida sheriffs claiming to provide offices customized and affordable liability policies, offered him $3,500 related to the incident.
WPTV got in contact with Sapp, who didn’t answer questions about the case. The Florida Sheriff’s Risk Management Fund and the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office didn’t return our calls and emails about questions related to the case.
Sapp, according to viewer video, attended the Okeechobee County Board of Commissioners meeting last week. He didn’t talk, but attendees traveled from across the state to tell members their opinions about a potential lawsuit.
“The unjust arrest of Mr. Warren Sapp is a stark reminder that the fight against racism and tyranny is far from over,” said one attendee.
“If he wins his lawsuit for $20 million, are you going to apologize to the taxpayers?” asked another attendee.
“That’s what the sheriff’s office did to Mr. Sapp back there, stomped on his rights,” said another attendee.
