A football player from the University of Alabama was arrested in Florida on gun and drug charges last week, according to Brobible. Tony Mitchell was taken into custody on charges of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. Another person was reportedly inside the car at the time and had a concealed firearm with a permit.ย
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said on Monday that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is,” according to ESPN. The arrest report from AL.com states that deputies recovered 226 grams of marijuana and more than $7,000 in cash from the vehicle. Police first pursued Mitchell after observing him driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone. The vehicle then reached 141 mph before the police lost Mitchell and the passenger, Christophere Lewis.ย
Videos by PopCulture.com
Mitchell and Lewis were stopped minutes later, and police then smelled “the odor of burnt marijuana coming from within the vehicle,” according to the report. Mitchell admitted to fleeing police as he said that Lewis told him to “punch it.” Both Mitchell and Lewis denied possession of the marijuana and the firearm, but Mitchell has a concealed weapons permit.ย
According to 247Sports, Mitchell is a four-star cornerback back who is the 12th-best player from the state of Alabama. He enrolled at Alabama in January after signing his letter of intent with the team in December. He went to Thompson High School in Alabama and chose the Crimson Tide over, Auburn, Georgia and Texas A&M. Mitchell is expected to be a key contributor to the Alabama defense this season.ย
“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said during his press conference on Monday, per 247Sports. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.” The Crimson Tide have opened their spring practice and have their spring game on April 22.ย
