When MLB icon Joe Morgan won big after police mistook him for drug dealer

Hall of Famer Joe Morgan once had an epic celebration. The World Series champion won a $510K lawsuit after being wrongfully arrested by a police detective.

In 1991, a federal court awarded Morgan $510,000 in damages after finding that a police detective named Clayton Searle assaulted Morgan after mistaking him for a drug dealer.

"I believe in law and order, but it has to be fair for both sides," said Morgan. "I didn't do it for the money."

Morgan stated during the trial before Judge Mariana Pfaelzer that Searle and a federal Drug Enforcement Agency agent mistook him for a drug courier while he was waiting in line at a bank of telephones at the Los Angeles International airport.

Morgan claimed that before he could present his identity to the officers, he was grabbed from behind, thrown to the ground and handcuffed.

National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

He claimed that Searle clapped one hand over his mouth and nose, making it difficult for him to breathe as he was led away in front of spectators.

"I said, 'Why are you doing this?'' Morgan testified. "He said, 'I'm an authority figure and I'm going to show you what authority is all about.'"

Morgan played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Oakland Athletics between 1963 and 1984. He died on Oct. 11, 2020.

Hall of Famer Joe Morgan

Along with the Reds, Morgan captured two World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. During each of those seasons, he was also awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player.

"BREAKING: Joe Morgan, Hall of Fame Cincinnati Reds 2nd baseman and heart of the 1970s' Big Red Machine, has died at age 77." - MSNBC

Joe Morgan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990 and is regarded as one of the best second basemen of all time.