Patrick's marijuana charge dropped, status with team still uncertain

While a charge for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana has been dropped, Georgia inside linebacker Natrez Patrick's standing with the football program still awaits a final decision.

The Barrow County District Attorney's Office elected to drop this charge Thursday, according to Patrick's attorney William Healan III. Asked if this decision meant Patrick would not be considered a third-time offender under the UGA student-athlete handbook, athletics director Greg McGarity declined to comment.

The handbook states that three drug-related incidents result in expulsion from the team a student-athlete participates on. Patrick has been arrested twice before on marijuana-related charges. In this particular incident, Patrick was arrested with teammate Jayson Stanley on Dec 2. Stanley was also initially charged with driving under the influence of drugs and speeding.

Previously, head coach Kirby Smart expressed disappointment in the two players while stating the program is still "gathering information" on the incident.

Healan emailed a statement to The Telegraph and other media outlets about his client's resolution.

"Natrez Patrick's possession of marijuana case was dismissed (Thursday)," Healan said. "Mr. Patrick had been charged with possession of a loose piece of marijuana that was smaller than a penny. Jayson Stanley was the owner and driver of the vehicle in which the marijuana was found. Mr. Stanley admitted ownership of the marijuana both on the scene and in court (Thursday). As Mr. Patrick did not have any marijuana on his person, there was no evidence to support the prosecution of Mr. Patrick, and the district attorney had no choice but to dismiss the charge."

According to an ESPN report, Stanley took a plea to remove his driving under the influence of drugs charge. In return, Stanley pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana and speeding. This was Stanley's first arrest since enrolling at Georgia. It is not expected that he will participate in Georgia's game against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl.

In court Thursday, Stanley admitted that all of the marijuana found in the traffic stop was his and that Patrick did not know about it. Stanley said that if the case went to trial, he would testify under oath on Patrick's behalf.

In a phone interview, Healan said the circumstances probably didn't warrant for Patrick to be arrested at the scene of the traffic stop.

"If I were the officer I would not have arrested him," Healan said. "Some police officers handle it differently than others. I thought it was clear, Jayson Stanley admitted the marijuana was here on the scene. In Georgia, the driver or owner of the vehicle is presumed to be the owner of what is in the vehicle."

Healan said that Patrick maintained he did not use marijuana the night in question or know Stanley's vehicle contained marijuana before getting inside it.

The two players were arrested a few hours after Georgia's SEC Championship victory over Auburn on Dec. 2. Traveling westward on Ga. 316, Stanley was pulled over after traveling 87 mph in a 65 mph zone. Officers smelled marijuana when engaging Stanley and searched the car. Patrick was in the passenger's seat.

When both football players were arrested, Stanley told Barrow County Sheriff's deputies that the marijuana found in the vehicle was his. While it was captured on a Sheriff's deputy's body camera, this information was not included in the original police report. Patrick was arrested because officers alleged he was sitting on a tiny marijuana leaf in the passenger's seat. A Tropicana orange juice bottle containing marijuana was also found on the passenger side floorboard.

Patrick has started seven games for the Bulldogs in 2017 but missed a four-game stretch following his second arrest for marijuana possession since arriving to Georgia. This season, Patrick has totaled 35 tackles.

Stanley has been a valuable special-teams standout on the kickoff and punt coverage teams this season while rotating in at receiver.

Now that this latest issue is behind Patrick legally, he still has to await a final say regarding his football standing. Based on what he knows about the case, Healan said he doesn't believe Patrick should be found in violation of the student-athlete handbook.

"I suppose that’s up to UGA. You ask me about the handbook and I don’t believe he was in violation," Healan said. "He was not in possession of marijuana. He was found in court not to be in possession of marijuana and I don’t think he should be punished any further."

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Patrick's marijuana charge dropped, status with team still uncertain."