After Isaiah Adams turned himself into authorities Sunday, the third-year NFL veteran attorney says the former Illini offensive lineman “will be fully exonerated”.

July 22, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Rob Schumacher/The Republic/USA TODAY)

Former Illinois offensive lineman Isaiah Adams is facing four gun charges related to a guns and gangs investigation in his home country of Canada.

According to a media release from Durham Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada, near the Toronto metropolitan area, Adams turned himself to authorities on Sunday. A news release following an investigation by the police department's Guns and Gangs Unit detailed the charges.

The release stated the investigation centered around “a male believed to be in possession of a firearm and involved in drug trafficking. The suspect and a female were located in a vehicle in Ajax and taken into custody without incident. A search of the vehicle found over 3 kg of suspected fentanyl.”

Adams, 25, was not charged with any drug crimes in the matter but was charged with possessing a weapon by crime, possessing a restricted or prohibited firearm without a license, possessing a loaded firearm and possessing a prohibited device after a search warrant was executed of a house in nearby Pickering, Ontario, Canada. The firearm in question was a loaded replica Uzi firearm and included a prohibited overcapacity magazine. The investigation confirmed the loaded firearm was alleged to be stolen in the United States from the state of Georgia.

Canada, which is Adams’ home country, maintains significantly stricter federal gun laws than the United States as they regulate all firearm sales, possession, and transport under the Firearms Act and the Criminal Code. Licences under those laws are renewed every five years, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) operates a continuous eligibility screening system.

“Isaiah is completely innocent in this matter — he had no knowledge of any firearm, and he will be fully exonerated,” Toronto-based attorney Adam Weisberg said in a statement on Wednesday.

The media release says Adams’ sister, 27-year-old Allyson Mae Adams was at the residence at the time of the search warrant being executed and has been charged with the same gun crimes as her younger brother. The warrant was obtained after police arrested two of the four people, neither of which were Adams nor his sister, on charges of trafficking fentanyl. After police found more than three kilograms of the drug during a vehicle search, 25-year-old Jaelin Gamble from Pickering and 32-year-old Natasha Rotta of Ajax, Ontario, Canada were arrested on the drug charges.

Sources close to ESPN.com reported Adams was still expected to report to Arizona Cardinals training camp Wednesday and he’s expected to be active for the team’s first practice session Thursday morning. TSN reports that Adams’ next court appearance would be on Sept. 1. Arizona’s first preseason game is the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 6 (7 p.m. CST, NBC).

Adams is beginning his third season with the Cardinals after being selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft following his career as a two-year starter at Illinois. Adams played in all 17 games last season for Arizona with 11 starts. Adams, who was a two-time All-Big Ten Conference selection while playing all four spots at tackle and guard with the Illini, is expected to win the starting right guard spot for the upcoming 2026 season.

“We are aware of the situation involving Isaiah Adams," the Cardinals said in a statement. “Out of respect for the process, we will refrain from commenting further at this time.”