NFL teams
Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Justin Blackmon arrested for 3rd time

NFL, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon has been arrested a third time, this time in Edmond, Oklahoma, where police have charged him with possession of marijuana.

Several Oklahoma television stations, including KWTV News 9 in Oklahoma City, reported that Edmond Police Department officers who stopped Blackmon for a traffic violation could smell the odor of marijuana coming from his car. Police searched the car and found marijuana and took Blackmon into custody.

He has posted bail and has been released from custody.

Blackmon is currently serving an indefinite suspension after his third violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season because of his second violation, which occurred sometime in the offseason after the 2012 season in which he caught 64 passes for 865 yards and five touchdowns.

Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, Jaguars owner Shad Khan said he sees no reason for his team to cut ties with Blackmon.

"We want him to get help he needs," Khan said.

This is Blackmon's third arrest and second in Oklahoma. He was arrested in Texas in 2010 on a misdemeanor DUI charge (later reduced to underage alcohol possession) after police officers caught him speeding outside of Dallas. He was arrested again in June 2012 during a traffic stop in Stillwater, Oklahoma, after a breath test allegedly showed his blood alcohol content to be three times the legal limit.

That arrest put him in the NFL's substance abuse program.

"Right now, all I can say is I'm just praying that he can get the help that he needs,'' Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said Thursday.

Teammates seemed hardly surprised by Blackmon's latest transgression.

"It's just a difficult situation,'' quarterback Chad Henne said. "It's kind of ongoing. All we can do is pray that he finds a way to get on the right track and save his life.''

Added linebacker Paul Posluszny: "This is no longer a football issue. As his teammates, you hope he can do everything he can to get his life squared away. We feel for him, and we obviously want the best for him because he's a good kid at heart. We want the best for him. We hope that he can come out of this. ... He's a good guy. He's fighting through some things now and hopefully he's able to fix that and get his life back on the right.''

With Blackmon's uncertain future, the Jaguars drafted receivers Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson in the second round of May's NFL draft. Both could get on the field right away, especially with fellow receiver Ace Sanders suspended the first four games of the season for violating the league's drug policy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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