Alabama junior Cam Robinson, one of the most talented offensive tackles in college football, and Crimson Tide defensive back Laurence "Hootie" Jones will not be prosecuted on charges stemming from their arrests last month in their hometown of Monroe, La.
The district attorney declined to prosecute the case due to insufficient evidence, per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.
"I want to emphasize once again that the main reason I'm doing this is that I refuse to ruin the lives of two young men who have spent their adolescence and teenage years working and sweating, while we were all at home in the air conditioning," District Attorney Jerry Jones told KNOE News.
Robinson was charged with illegal possession of stolen firearms, a felony, as well as possession of a controlled dangerous substance and illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of narcotics. Jones was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of narcotics.
The arraignment of the pair, scheduled for last week, was postponed on Thursday. The decision not to prosecute the case was made on Thursday before the arraignment was postponed, and that's when Alabama coach Nick Saban learned of the decision, per Rapoport.
The players were arrested on May 17 at 2:33 a.m. after a police officer approached Robinson's vehicle in the parking lot of a park, according to the Monroe Police Department. Per the MPD, the officer smelled marijuana, noticed a handgun in Jones' lap and directed the players to exit the vehicle. A subsequent search revealed marijuana and another firearm reported stolen from Baldwin County, Ala., according to the MPD.
Saban has said he would wait for the legal process to run its course before deciding on any team-related discipline for Robinson and Jones. Although Saban could still discipline the players, the district attorney's decision is undoubtedly favorable where their status with the team is concerned.
NFL Media analyst Chad Reuter ranked Robinson last month as the No. 13 player in the college game.
He could be eligible for the NFL draft in 2017 or 2018, depending on whether he applies for early draft eligibility.
Whenever Robinson enters the draft, he'll face plenty of questions about the incident from NFL clubs. They'll do their own research apart from questioning Robinson about the incident, as well.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
