Tennessee running back John Kelly and linebacker Will Ignont were suspended from the team Wednesday after they were cited for marijuana possession, and Kelly was charged with two other misdemeanor charges, during a traffic stop in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Tuesday night.
Knoxville Police public information officer Darrell DeBusk told ESPN in a statement on Wednesday that officers stopped Kelly's car around 10:46 p.m. ET because it had a headlight out.
Officers "noticed a strong smell of marijuana" coming from the car when they approached, the statement said, at which point they asked Kelly to get out and requested to search the car.
Kelly consented to the search, and officers asked Ignont to get out of the car, the statement said. During the search, they found "a clear plastic baggie containing a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana" as well as "a glass pipe usually used to smoke marijuana," according to the statement.
"Members of our football team have a responsibility to represent the University of Tennessee in a first-class manner. I met with John and Will and they understand their actions were unacceptable," head coach Butch Jones said in a statement Wednesday.
The incident was first reported by WATE-TV in Knoxville.
The Knoxville police statement said neither Kelly nor Ignont claimed ownership of the marijuana or glass pipe, and officers decided to cite each of them with one of the items found. Police said the total weight of the marijuana was 4.6 grams.
Kelly, a junior from Detroit, was charged with possession of a Schedule 6 drug and received city citations for not having a properly functioning headlight and no proof of insurance. Ignont, a freshman from Huntsville, Alabama, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
The statement said both players were cooperative and allowed to drive from the scene. They're scheduled to turn themselves in to the Knox County Sheriff's Office on Nov. 7.
It's another bad development for the Volunteers, who are 3-4 overall, 0-4 in SEC play. The players' availability for Saturday night's game at Kentucky (7:30 p.m. ET; SEC Network) wasn't immediately known.
Kelly is Tennessee's leading rusher, with 615 yards and six touchdowns in six games. Ignont has four tackles in four games.