Louisiana DA Offers Bizarre Explanation for Letting Two Alabama Football Players Off the Hook for Drug and Gun Charges

A Louisiana district attorney announced Monday his decision to drop gun and drug charges against two University of Alabama football players — Cam Robinson and Laurence Jones.

District Attorney Jerry Jones stated that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against the student-athletes, explaining that it was too difficult to determine who was in possession of the gun and the drugs. But the explanation he offered for why the charges were dropped didn’t appear to have anything to do with evidence, or lack thereof.

Cam Robinson (Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office via AP)

"I want to emphasize once again that the main reason I'm doing this is that I refuse to ruin the lives of two young men who have spent their adolescence and teenage years, working and sweating, while we were all in the air conditioning,” the district attorney told KNOE-TV.

Robinson and Jones were arrested last month at a public park in Monroe, Louisiana, at around 2:30 a.m., AL.com reported. Both players were charged with possession of a controlled substance and possessing a firearm in the presence of drugs. Robinson received an additional charge of felony possession.

Laurence Jones (Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office via AP)

The initial police report, cited by ESPN Monday, states that an officer approached the players’ vehicle and smelled marijuana. According to police, the marijuana and handgun were in in plain sight and a stolen handgun was discovered under the passenger seat.

After the arrests last month, Alabama head football coach Nick Saban told AL.com that the program would handle any discipline against the players internally.

"If we can change their behavior based on what we do, that would be the purpose of discipline," Saban said. "Discipline is not necessarily just punishment, which a lot of people view it that way. It's how do you change somebody's behavior so they have a better chance to be successful.

"That's the way we've always done it,” he added. “That's the way we always try to do it. That's the way I like to do it with my own children. I think that's the way most parents like to do it with their own children.”

The DA apparently agreed. But Monroe residents had mixed reactions to the attorney's decision not to prosecute the players. Many voiced their frustration to KNOE, calling the decision "unfair" and "odd."

Robinson is an all-conference offensive lineman entering his junior season. ESPN reported that the 6-foot-6, 325-pound player, has started every game since his freshman year. Jones, a reserve in his first two years at Alabama, was one of the top prospects coming out of high school.