First-round prospect Shane Ray cited for marijuana possession
NFL draft prospect Shane Ray was cited for marijuana possession Monday morning in Missouri, according to police records from the Missouri State Police.
Ray, widely projected as a first-round pick, was cited and charged with possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana and failure to drive in the right lane of a highway with two or more lanes.
The arrest occurred in Cooper County, Missouri, which is located between Ray's hometown of Kansas City and Columbia, where he attended the University of Missouri.
Possession of under 35 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor in Missouri, punishable by up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Ray apologized for his actions in a statement, saying “there no excuses here and I will take the necessary steps to ensure this will not happen again.”
"I’d like to apologize to my Mother, Fans and prospective NFL teams for my poor judgment Monday morning," Ray said. "I am embarrassed and realize there are consequences for my actions. I was not under the influence nor impaired , therefore I was not detained. Fortunately, Mondays incident only resulted in a citation. I will make better choices in the future."
Ray, a pass-rushing outside linebacker, was ranked the No. 18 prospect in this year's draft class by SI.com's Doug Farrar and Chris Burke. Ray declared for the draft after his junior season, where he was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year after recording a conference-high 14.5 sacks.
He is scheduled to be in attendance this week at the draft in Chicago.
- Dan Gartland and Scooby Axson
