A college football player from Pensacola and a rising cornerback for the Florida Gators was arrested and charged with a drug offense after police found a few grams of marijuana in the car he was riding in. He was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle when it was pulled over for a traffic violation.
Last season, the junior student-athlete was a staple for Florida’s defense, playing in all 13 games and tallying 51 tackles, the fourth most on the team. In addition, he forced three fumbles, broke up five passes and blocked two kicks. With a shortage of scholarship wide receivers returning, it is expected that the player may shift from cornerback to wide receiver during spring practice.
Before he can focus on any new challenges of the changing his football position, he will have to face the drug charges against himself. Most drug possession charges involving defendants who had no intent to distribute the controlled substance may be charged as third degree misdemeanors. However, in Florida, possession of marijuana may be charged as a first degree misdemeanor, which brings harsher penalties.
Despite seemingly hard evidence of drug possession, not all drug possession cases result in convictions as a defense lawyer may be able to find flaws in the prosecution’s case. For example, the defendant may not have been in control of the illicit substance’s location. Furthermore, the act of searching for and seizing the substance may have violated the defendant’s rights. An attorney may be able to examine the case and determine if the the accused’s rights were violated, which could result in a reduction or dismissal of the charges.
Source: Yahoo!Sports, “Florida CB Purifoy facing drug possession charge,” Feb. 7, 2013