Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh has defended Jordan Elliott’s character after the NFL franchise released the defensive tackle following a shocking incident in a parking lot where he attempted to retrieve a gun after an altercation with a teammate.

The Titans originally put out a vague statement confirming there had been an “incident”.

“On Thursday, October 15, there was an incident at our team facility involving Jordan Elliott,” it read.

“Following our review of the incident, we have made the decision to release Elliott from our roster. We will have no further comment on the matter.”

But Saleh has now addressed what went down after last week’s training session where Elliott reportedly had a disagreement with teammate JC Latham and then went to his car in the parking lot to get his gun.

“(He) had a terrible lapse in judgment that I recognise as a call for help more than a criminal act,“ Saleh said in his first year coaching the team.

“It’s unfortunate the way it went down. As far as Jordan’s concerned and the locker room and all that, I think people see it differently here than the knee-jerk reaction of the world.

“I think the organisation and the NFL did an outstanding job with regards to pausing, which I think everyone needs to do in this situation is pause with regards to the news that Jordan had a gun.

“The reason why I think the NFL and the organisation did an outstanding job is because this is a man who’s a father, a great husband. He’s never committed a crime in his entire life, and he pulled a gun in the parking lot.

“And the first question that I think everyone forgets to ask is why would a great man, a great father, a man who shows up on time every day, who works his ass off every day, contributes the way he’s supposed to contribute, is well liked in the locker room, why did he go off the rails and grab a gun?”

Saleh went on to describe Elliott as a “good man” and told the 31 other NFL teams that he would vouch for him if they wanted to sign him.

“I will stand on the table for Jordan’s character,” Saleh said.

“Unfortunately, rules are rules with regard to guns on property, and sometimes it’s far greater than the knee-jerk reaction of kicking somebody when they’re down.”

“My message to 31 other teams would be: If you need a hell of a run-stopping D-tackle that can help you on a playoff run, give me a call.

“I’ll tell you everything you need to know about him. He’s a good man.”