Former Mizzou star cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession
Former Mizzou defensive end Shane Ray was cited Monday morning for possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana and failing to drive in the right lane of a highway with two or more lanes.
Ray, a consensus first round projection in the 2015 NFL draft, was pulled over at mile marker 108 on Interstate 70 westbound in Cooper County early Monday morning, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol. According to troopers, Ray was pulled over for speeding at 5:46 a.m.
Missouri Highway Patrol said troopers smelled a marijuana odor in Ray’s car during the traffic stop. After a search, troopers found less than 35 grams of marijuana in the defensive end’s vehicle. Troopers say Ray was cooperative during the stop. Records state highway patrol arrested Ray at 6:07 a.m. and was later released.
Troopers say Ray will have a June court date in Cooper County.
Ray is arrested for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. According to Section 195.202.1 of Missouri Revised Statutes, holding 35 or less grams of marijuana is a class A misdemeanor. The maximum penalty is a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
Many NFL pundits predict Ray will be one of the first linemen taken in the 2015 NFL draft. He could be the first Mizzou defensive lineman selected in the first round since the 2013 draft when the Jets selected Sheldon Richardson.
The Kansas City, Mo native is a consensus All-American. He holds Mizzou’s single-season sacks record (14.5), which he set this past season. Ray also had 22.5 tackles for loss, which ranks third nationally this year.
UPDATE:Shane Ray releases a statement via NFL.com Ian Rapoport on Twitter.
“I’d like to apologize to my Mother, Fans and prospective NFL teams for my poor judgement Monday morning. I am embarrassed and realize there 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. It is imperative that I continue to strive to better myself. My future NFL career has been something I have always dreamed about and is very important to me. I commit that my actions will represent that. There are no excuses here and I will necessary steps to ensure that will not happen again. I will not jeopardize my ability to have a positive impact on and off the field moving forward”- Shane Ray to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport
