Chicago Bears linebacker J.T. Thomas is facing a misdemeanor drug possession charge after police in Morgantown, W.Va., said they caught him driving the wrong way down a one-way street and found marijuana in his car.
Morgantown Police Chief Ed Preston said Thomas, 23, was charged Monday morning. The officer who pulled over Thomas detected the odor of marijuana, Preston said, and when the player retrieved information the officer had requested from the glove box, small plastic bags with marijuana fell out.
Thomas appeared in magistrate court for an initial arraignment and was released on his own recognizance.
Thomas, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native, was a three-year starter at West Virginia. He was in town with some former Mountaineers teammates over the weekend to visit WVU Children's Hospital and to host a fundraiser for the Epilepsy Foundation.
His J.T. Thomas Foundation promotes leadership, education, youth sports and awareness of childhood disability. Morgantown was the next-to-last stop on his "Ready Ready Road Trip," which had started in Fort Lauderdale.
The trip included a stop in Chicago, where he surprised a 14-year old epilepsy patient with Super Bowl tickets. The teen and his mother attended last week's game with Thomas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
