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Former Penn State star interrogated for hours at German airport, alleges racial profiling

Penn State Nittany Lions' Newbill goes to the basket against Michigan Wolverines' Burke during the first half of their NCAA men's college basketball game in Chicago, Illinois

Penn State Nittany Lions’ D.J. Newbill (R) goes to the basket against Michigan Wolverines’ Trey Burke during the first half of their NCAA men’s college basketball game at the 2013 Big 10 tournament in Chicago, Illinois, March 14, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

REUTERS

Former Penn State star D.J. Newbill has signed with a professional team in France where he will continue his basketball career this season.

But the trip to Europe was anything but routine for Newbill, as he was reportedly detained by immigration authorities in Germany for hours and questioned as to why he was traveling through the country.

According to Newbill’s agent, who spoke with StateCollege.com, the player was detained -- but not officially arrested -- due to an issue with his visa.

“Just to correct one thing, D.J. was not arrested on suspicion of terrorism, he was interrogated because of not presenting a long-stay visa when entering shengen zone to play professional basketball,” his agent, Francois Lamy, told the website. “Only during interrogation did the officials ask weird questions, which seem to be part of a silly protocol.”

There were earlier reports that Newbill was arrested on suspicion of being a terrorist and that he was racially profiled, due in large part to a Facebook post made by his agent. Whatever the cause, the player was reportedly questioned for hours at the Frankfurt airport.

Newbill averaged 20.7 points and 4.7 boards for the Nittany Lions last season. He has signed to play with ASVEL Basket club.