Alabama LB Johns arrested for selling cocaine

USCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama linebacker Jimmy Johns was arrested on felony drug charges Tuesday and kicked off the team, the latest in a string of off-the-field problems for coach Nick Saban's squad.
Johns, who moved to defense for his senior year after playing running back and receiver in 2007, was "pretty wide open" selling cocaine to students on and around the University of Alabama campus but tried to hide what he was doing from teammates, police said.He didn't want them to know he was involved in it," said Capt. Jeff Snyder of the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force.

Records did not indicate whether Johns had hired a lawyer. He was held at the metro jail with bond set at $120,000.

Saban dismissed Johns from the team almost immediately.

"This type of behavior obviously will not be tolerated and he is no longer a part of our program," he said in a brief statement.

Alabama players have been involved in a series of arrests and off-the-field suspensions, with Saban acknowledging the need for better discipline and judgment earlier this year after two players were arrested within days of each other.

"I've said enough is enough and we're trying to fix it," Saban said in February.

About two months later, Snyder said, police began getting tips that Johns was involved in drug sales. Alabama was conducting spring football practice around the same time.

Undercover officers purchased cocaine from Johns five times in the last 1 1/2 weeks, Snyder said, and they arrested him at a gas station near his off-campus apartment, where he lived alone.

Authorities who searched the apartment found about 10 grams of cocaine and ecstasy pills. Johns was charged with distributing cocaine and possessing the pills, Snyder said.

Snyder said Johns didn't use his status as a football player to solicit business, but being a member of the Crimson Tide didn't hurt, either.

"He was popular. A lot of people knew him," he said.

Snyder said officers purchased drugs twice from Johns at the player's apartment, once near campus and twice at the university. He declined comment on whether officers obtained drugs in the Alabama football complex. But he said there was no indication other players were involved.

The 6-foot-2, 233-pound Johns was No. 2 on the team in rushing in both of his first two years, but he saw reduced playing time last season after missing part of spring practice for academic reasons.

Saban moved Johns to linebacker before last season's bowl game, and he was expected to contribute to a defense already short on experience.

The Tide is lacking depth at linebacker partly because of disciplinary action against Prince Hall. Saban has said Hall will serve some sort of suspension in the upcoming season. The reasons for Hall's suspension were not disclosed.

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June 24, 2008 - 5:22 p.m. Copyright 2008, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Tags: Alabama, Johns, LB, arrested, cocaine, for, selling

Comment by Ke'Andra Jones on June 26, 2008 at 3:30am: MAN i'M FROM TUSCALOOSA, WHERE THE UA AT AND THiS NiGGA DONE FUCKED HiS SELF UP HE KNEW HE CANT SELL THAT SHiT ON THEM WHiTE FOLKS CAMPUS SOMEBODY WAS GONE TELL THAT NiGGA DiD THAT SHiT TO HIMSELF....... NiGGAS THESE DAYS DONT THiNK WORTH SHiT SEEMS LiKE

Comment by Votney925 on June 26, 2008 at 12:55pm: yea they said jimmy was wide open about selling cocaine so i don't know why he thought he wasn't gone get caught eventually

Comment by los on June 26, 2008 at 1:05pm: WE CANT GET IT RIGHT!

Comment by Loleitha Lewis on June 26, 2008 at 3:21pm: In the open, dummy!

Comment by Djzion007 on June 26, 2008 at 5:46pm: Leave that shit to the real hustlers lol play ur part nukka

Comment by YOUNG'N on June 26, 2008 at 5:53pm: NOW THAT'S WHAT U CALL A STUPID ASS NIGGA.. THIS DUMMY WAS ABOUT 2 BE A MILLIONAIRE NEXT YEAR AND HE THROWS ALL THAT AWAY FOR ABOUT $500.00 WORTH OF COKE AND A FEW X PILLS..IS THAT STUPID,DUMB, OR RETARTED?

Comment by durty_basturd on June 26, 2008 at 9:05pm: NIGGA AINT DUMB HE WASNT GOIN TO THE LEAGUE, THAT NIGGA BUILDIN UP A REP FOR HIS HUSTLIN CAREER. HE ALREADY GOT CLIENTELE NOW HE GOT A STAR ON HIS RESUME HAHA

Comment by cye young on June 27, 2008 at 5:14pm: hey man thats fucked up i was holding up for that nigga even though he beat my high school class in 05...matter of fact wayne county still the click so fuck the haters

Comment by Dubaura on June 28, 2008 at 2:33am: Oh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.....I'm from Laurel, nigga! Oooooooooo....shook you up, huh...from the L...aka...The Nail in The War Eagle's Coffin! Wayne Co. High School Football...2 thousand whenever-2007...RIP! But real talk, dat boy should have stayed and went to a MS college anyway...probably still woulda been a QB!