Earlier this month, Nick Saban spoke of his players going into a three-week break away from school and football, saying "[i]t doesn’t mean you have you have to kill yourself, but you can still grow in terms of how you think, the choices and decisions that you make in terms of what’s going to benefit you in being a better player and better competitor next year.”
Apparently, a couple of players didn’t take that message to heart.
According to online court records, star offensive lineman Cam Robinson (pictured, left) and defensive back Laurence “Hootie” Jones were arrested early Tuesday morning in Monroe, La. Both players were charged with one count each possession of marijuana and illegal carrying of a weapon, which are misdemeanors.
Unfortunately for Robinson, he was also charged with illegal possession of a stolen firearm, a felony.
The twin arrests -- the inmate summaries can be viewed HERE (Robinson) and HERE (Jones) -- were initiated when a police officer observed a vehicle parked in a park after it was closed. The officer smelled marijuana as he approached the vehicle, and also observed Jones, the front-seat passenger, with a handgun laying on his lap. “After all suspects were removed from the vehicle,” the police report stated, “I found a bag of marijuana, in plain view laying in the front drivers floorboard and a stolen handgun under the seat.”
Robinson was the driver, and remains in jail as of this morning.
The school has yet to comment on the development, although a statement from Saban is expected at some point today.
Robinson was a Freshman All-American in 2014, then was named first-team All-SEC by both the coaches and the media following the 2015 season. The 6-6, 327-pound tackle is widely expected to leave the Tide early after the 2016 season for the NFL draft, where he’s viewed as a likely Top-10 pick.
Jones, a junior, played in nine games in a reserve role last season.