June 07, 2012
By TIM TALLEY |
Associated Press
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars first-round draft pick Justin Blackmon appeared in an Oklahoma courtroom Monday for the first time since his weekend arrest for suspicion of drunken driving.
The former Oklahoma State star wide receiver’s attorney entered a not guilty plea for him to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. Blackmon was allowed to remain free on $1,000 bond.
Police arrested Blackmon during a traffic stop in Stillwater early Sunday after a breath test allegedly showed his blood alcohol content to be three times the legal limit.
Blackmon left the courtroom surrounded by friends. His attorney, Cheryl Ramsey, declined to comment.
The Jaguars selected Blackmon fifth overall in April’s draft. A team spokesman said Sunday that the Jaguars were trying to learn more about the arrest and had no comment.
Blackmon has not yet signed with the Jaguars, and it was not immediately known how the charge might impact negotiations.
Blackmon is Jacksonville’s fourth first-round draft pick since 2000 to face problems after being selected. The team has tried for nearly a decade to find a suitable replacement for its best receiving tandem ever, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell.
Former Arkansas quarterback-turned-wide receiver Matt Jones, selected in 2005, was charged with cocaine possession in July 2008 and ordered into a drug treatment program. He was suspended for three games in late 2008 for violations of the NFL’s drug policy and cut in the spring of 2009.
The team's 2004 first-round pick, Washington wide receiver Reggie Williams, wasn’t re-signed after being charged with drug possession in Houston in 2009.
And wide receiver R. Jay Soward of Southern Cal, taken in the first round in 2000, seldom played due to drug and alcohol problems that led to numerous suspensions.