Former Ducks TE Colt Lyerla jailed on drug-related charges

Former Oregon Ducks tight end Colt Lyerla was in jail as of Thursday morning on drug-related charges. (Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla was held in jail on Thursday after police observed him a day earlier snorting a white powdery substance while sitting in a parked car.

The 20-year-old, who left the Ducks following a suspension earlier this month, was arrested by the Sheriff's office in Eugene, Ore., and charged with unlawful possession of cocaine and interfering with a police officer. According to the Associated Press report, citing a statement from the sheriff's office, Lyerla admitted to possessing and using cocaine.

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After surveillance led to police witnessing him snort the cocaine, detectives arranged to meet him at his house to continue the investigation. Once authorities arrived, however, Lyerla ran from his car and into a nearby apartment but was subsequently arrested outside the apartment a short time later.  He was then sent to the Lane County jail, where he remains as of Thursday morning.

Lyerla was suspended for the Ducks' Oct. 5 game at Colorado for what head coach Mark Helfrich said was an unspecified violation of team rules. Two days later, it was announced that he was leaving the program. The former tight end said his decision to leave had nothing to do with the suspension. Helfich said a day after Lyerla left that the two sides parted on good terms:

''If he felt this was best for him, that's OK. We talked about it and we moved on. We wished him absolutely nothing but the best, and he wished us nothing but the best. There was no `smoking gun,' so to speak.''

Prior to leaving the program, the junior had caught three passes for 26 yards. For his college career, he had 565 yards on 34 receptions and 11 touchdowns. Less than two weeks after leaving the program, Lyerla signed with an agent and is now preparing for the 2014 NFL Draft.

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