Source: Antwaun Woods To Return To Practice Today In Hopes of 'Newsworthy' Cowboys Turnaround
FRISCO - Antwaun Woods has experienced a newsworthy season ... with not enough of the news being of the "good'' variety. A healthy return to the field for the Dallas Cowboys this week for their Week 15 visit from the Rams might help turn that tide.
Woods, Dallas' run-stopping defensive tackle, will attempt to return to practice today here at The Star, a source tells CowboysSI.com. (He did work with the team during it's "light'' Monday as well.) Woods has missed two straight games because of a sprained knee. The loss at Chicago marked the fifth game he has missed this season because of injury.
Additionally, he was arrested and faces charges of drug possession and tampering with evidence last Tuesday, on the eve of his team's departure for Chicago. Coach Jason Garrett opted to leave him home from that trip.
He faces a charge of possession of marijuana over two ounces, but less than four ounces, according to Frisco police. That charge is a Class A misdemeanor.
The tampering charge, I'm told by law-enforcement officials, can mean two to 10 years in prison but is unlikely to stick. One source told me: "There is not a situation I could see he would ever do time for that. For 'tampering,' they would have to show he: alters, destroys, or conceals any record, document, or thing with intent to impair its verity, legibility, or availability as evidence.''
The source said that Woods' alleged tossing of a marijuana into a water bottle does not likely meet that threshold and that, "I would imagine Frisco detective looks at it and just charges marijuana, which is a misdemeanor, which usually get deferred probation or conditional dismissal.''
Nevertheless, Frisco police, in speaking to Woods on video, inform him regarding the multiple containers in his car, “So listen: you’ve got too much marijuana, OK?”
Woods, who is subject to punishment by the NFL under the league’s personal conduct policy, is a popular player in the Cowboys locker room and is viewed as a positive contributor. But he did make news earlier in the season, too, by arriving late back to The Star for team meetings following the bye week.
"I made a mistake and it won't happen again,'' Woods said then, citing the fact that in all his years in college and pro football, he's been late for work a total of twice.
Woods, 26, could make a timely return this week, though. Reserve defensive lineman Chris Covington has been starting in his place at the 1-Tech spot, with rookie Trysten Hill also getting snaps. The 6-7 Cowboys need a boost if they're to build on their first-place status in the NFC East. Woods' ability to get healthy - and to put his bad news aside - could be part of that boost.
