A decorated freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, Steveson is trying his hand at an NFL career after a brief stint in professional wrestling with the WWE.
Warning: This article contains links to articles and a brief description of a criminal case involving graphic allegations of sexual assault
The Buffalo Bills continue searching high and low for the opportunity to add unique individual talent to all parts of the roster. According to a report by Ryan Talbot, Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling was at One Bills Drive for a visit on Wednesday.
Steveson is a highly decorated freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, who also had a brief stint in professional wrestling with the WWE. What he isn’t, is an experienced tackle football player.
After initially not reaching out, the #Bills brought Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist, in for a visit today.
— Ryan Talbot (@RyanTalbotBills) May 15, 2024
Thoughts #BillsMafia ? https://t.co/wiK67uZAN3 pic.twitter.com/vc3fyMX20e
Though Steveson doesn’t have any reported football experience, his traits as a 6’1”, 265-pound wrestler could potentially translate to any number of highly physical positions on the gridiron.
The elephant in the room with Gable Steveson is an arrest he and University of Minnesota wrestling teammate Dylan Martinez faced back on June 15, 2019, which was based on suspicion of criminal sexual misconduct. Ultimately, the charges against the pair were dismissed in December of 2019 — allowing them to avoid facing criminal charges and any subsequent prosecution due to a lack of adequate evidence.
Reportedly, Minnesota law restricted Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman’s ability to charge Gable Steveson and his teammate with sexual assault. The restriction was due to the state’s limited scope in adjudicating crimes of such nature where alcohol is involved — with Freeman specifically pointing to the difficulty in proceeding forward with the case as it potentially involved an intoxicated victim and her “ability to give consent.”