Rams’ Derion Kendrick arrested on suspicion of illegal gun possession

Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick was arrested Monday on suspicion of illegal gun possession, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the situation said.

Kendrick, 23, was arrested after he was stopped in a car for a traffic violation in Hollywood, the source said. Kendrick was booked on a felony charge at 2:14 a.m. according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. website.

TMZ first reported Kendrick’s arrest.

Kendrick made two tackles Sunday in the Rams’ 26-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that he was aware of Kendrick’s arrest and that the NFL also was involved. He declined to elaborate on how the Rams will handle the situation.

“We’re continuing to gather more information on that,” McVay said during a video conference with reporters, “and so until then I’m going to just kind of leave it at that until I have all the appropriate information.”

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Kendrick, a sixth-round pick in 2021 who played at Clemson and Georgia, has started every game this season.

This is not the first time Kendrick was arrested on suspicion of a gun charge. In March 2021, Kendrick was arrested in his hometown of Rock Hill, S.C., after police found him asleep in a car with a gun on his lap, according to news reports.

Kendrick reportedly completed a pretrial intervention program that resulted in the charges being expunged.

The Rams play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

If Kendrick is not available to play, the Rams could turn to rookie Tre Tomlinson or veteran Duke Shelley.

“I [don’t] want to be quick to pass judgment before I know everything,” McVay said, “and so I care about these guys a whole lot. I want to continue to help them make all the right decisions and try to avoid situations like this.

“But I also know that life isn’t perfect. I’ve certainly made my mistakes, and how can we continuously educate guys on how to avoid these and then also understand all the layers that are involved in a situation like this before kind of dive deep into having an opinion and passing judgment.’ ”