The gun that was found in the...

The gun that was found in the brief case of Miami Dolphin linebacker Hugh Green was not legally registered to him either in Miami or Tampa, officials said.

Green was arrested late Sunday night after an X-ray machine at Tampa International Airport showed the .38 caliber handgun in his briefcase.

“It was a mistake,” Green said in a statement issued through the Dolphins’ publicity office. “I forgot I had the gun in my briefcase. I’m really sorry it happened.”

Green, 27, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. First-time offenders usually are put on probation.