Police say they stopped this former NFL, University of Miami player from committing a massacre

This could have been so much worse.

Former University of Miami and NFL tight end Richard Gordon was arrested Tuesday, per Local 10, on battery charges after he allegedly punched his girlfriend and kicked the door of a police car into an arresting officer, but things could have been so much worse.

Related: Authorities now have a sickening video that adds another awful element to the Orlando terrorist case

Per the report, officers found an AR-15 assault rifle inside the 29 year old's locked vehicle, and detective said the weapon was going to be used to shoot up The Office strip club after Gordon had a confrontation there the night before.

According to the report, Gordon's girlfriend was driving Gordon to pick up his car from a sports bar in Miami Gardens when the former NFL player "started acting crazy and flipped out," slapping her in the face and punching her in the arm.

Police found Gordon walking near the bar and placed him into custody, where he yelled at the officer and hit her in the arm and shoulder by kicking the door. Police later impounded the vehicle and took the gun into evidence, per the report.

According to his girlfriend, Gordon has been hospitalized under Florida's Baker Act, a mental health act, three times in the past year, and he hadn't slept in days.

Gordon played for Miami from 2006-10 and was a sixth-round pick by the Oakland Raiders. He played for the Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos over his career, and was waived by the Super Bowl champs just last month.

Gordon's arrest came about a week after the massacre at a nightclub in Orlando, in which a man used an assault rifle to kill 49 people and injure more than 50. Miami Gardens is about three hours south of Orlando.