It turns out Janoris Jenkins isn't alone: His arrests for marijuana possession are just two of the four total for Gators on the 2011 Florida football roster.
Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post reports that defensive end/linebacker Chris Martin and linebacker Kedric Johnson were cited for marijuana possession in separate incidents in early 2011.
The Gainesville Police Department arrested Martin, who is expected to compete for a starting job at defensive end or linebacker this summer, on Jan. 29 after officers detected the scent of the drug coming from a vehicle. Martin was in the car and revealed approximately two grams of cannabis when the police confronted him, the report said.
Johnson, a back-up linebacker, was arrested on Jan. 9 after an officer pulled him over for speeding and smelled marijuana. He produced two grams of it from his glove compartment, the police report said.
Both players agreed to deferred prosecution, and the cases did not go to trial.
Are we headed for a referendum on Florida's attitudes and policies on marijuana? Are we going to have to dredge up statistics for drug-related arrests by demographic to prove that a few young black men getting arrested for possession is not all that uncommon? Are we going to have any defenders without an arrest or other demerit on their permanent records this fall?
In order: Yes, and I can imagine some of the usual suspects sharpening their troll knives now; yeah, probably, but to defend college football players as a whole, not just these Gators; sure, as long as Jelani Jenkins sticks around.
Oh, and as for Martin and Johnson: If Jenkins' first marijuana arrest — his second arrest, mind — was handled internally, I think we can safely assume theirs were, as well.