A Louisiana district attorney, Jerry Jones, has declined to bring charges against two University of Alabama football players, citing insufficient evidence to prosecute the case, KNOE-TV reports.
Athlete Cam Robinson had been facing charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and illegal possession of a stolen firearm, while Laurence "Hootie" Jones was facing charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, both stemming from an arrest in mid-May in their hometown of Monroe, La., ESPN reports.
However, Jones said that there was not enough evidence to prove who had the gun and the drugs. Jones also said he did not want to "ruin the lives" of the young men.
"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," he told KNOE-TV.
In May an officer approached the young men's vehicle at a park that was closed and smelled marijuana, a police report indicates, ESPN reports. A bag of marijuana and handgun were in plain sight, according to the police report, and a stolen handgun was found under the passenger seat.
The university declined to make any further comments about the case following the district attorney's decision, KNOE-TV reports. However, in May, Alabama coach Nick Saban told AL.com that he had spoken to both players about the arrest and that the program was investigating and would handle any discipline internally and privately.
"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. 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," he added.
Robinson is an All-SEC left tackle entering his junior season, ESPN notes, while Jones was one of the top safety prospects coming out of high school.