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Myron Medcalf
Multiple Authors
Authorities found 2.1 pounds of marijuana in Alabama star Aden Holloway’s apartment when he was arrested on a felony drug possession charge Monday morning, according to charging documents obtained by ESPN on Tuesday.
The amount discovered in the arrest is significant because any amount of marijuana above 2.2 pounds — or a kilogram — in the state of Alabama can result in a drug trafficking charge.
Holloway, who was “removed from campus” and is not with the team days before the NCAA tournament because of the arrest, told police he wanted to exercise his Miranda rights and remain silent during the search of his apartment but then told police “he only smokes.”
Coach Nate Oats said the team is preparing to play without Holloway when it faces Hofstra on Friday in the NCAA tournament.
Holloway posted $5,000 bail and was released from the Tuscaloosa County jail shortly after his arrest.
He has been charged with a class C felony drug possession charge, “not for personal use,” and a failure to affix a tax stamp charge. They are both felonies and they both carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and a $15,000 fine.
Per the charging documents, the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force was executing a search warrant at Holloway’s apartment when authorities found marijuana in a backpack, a jacket pocket, a suitcase, in a TV entertainment stand and a vacuum-sealed bag, along with cash, the prescription sedative promethazine, a “rolling tray” and packaging materials.
That was just in one room.
Authorities also found marijuana in a box and a drawer in a spare bedroom.
It’s unclear what prompted the search warrant.
Jason Neff, Holloway’s attorney, said his client was stopped for reckless driving and given a citation after police also found a small amount of marijuana in his vehicle last week during a traffic stop, days before his arrest on Monday. Neff said he doesn’t believe the two incidents are connected.
Neff also said Holloway has been adamant that he’s innocent of the felony drug charge and had marijuana at his apartment only for personal use.
Neff has requested a hearing with school officials to reverse his campus ban — known as an “interim measure” — so he can return to class. That could potentially open the door for him to play again, but that’s up to the powerbrokers at Alabama, including Oats, he said.
The timing isn’t great. Alabama is on spring break, so a hearing that is typically scheduled a day or two after a request might not happen until next week.
Per the charging documents, authorities believe Holloway was in possession of “marijuana for other than personal use” and “did possess, distribute, sell, transport, import, transfer or otherwise use a controlled substance, to wit: marijuana, on which a tax had not been imposed.”
Neff said there is no proof his client was selling marijuana.
Holloway did not have a prescription for the promethazine, per authorities, which could result in another charge.
Neff said the state of Alabama moves slowly with felony drug cases. Holloway’s preliminary hearing won’t happen for at least six weeks, he said, but it might take a year and a half for the case to reach its conclusion. Either way, it could have repercussions on his professional future, he said.
“He has no criminal history,” Neff said. “If he were to plead out or even go to trial, the judge could give him probation. It is a felony. For a 21-year-old man trying to get through college and get to the NBA, a felony issue could be a major issue long term.”
Per a statement from the school, Holloway was removed from campus Monday pending an investigation by Alabama’s Office of Student Conduct.
On his radio show Monday, Oats said that Holloway has to be held “accountable.”
“We got standards in our program and we’ve got ways we’ve held our guys accountable. And we try to keep everything in-house, obviously some of the situations you can’t, and this is one of those,” Oats said on his radio show on Monday evening about Holloway, who is second on the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game. “We found out about what was going on this morning, I found out this morning. I guess it all went down this morning. And we had to suspend him pending the investigation. … We’re certainly disappointed in his behavior. But that being said, we still love him, he’s still our guy. We’re helping him get the help that he needs and we’re going to continue to help him whatever way we can. But as far as our team goes, I thought we had a great practice, we’re preparing to play without him this weekend.”
Holloway is a key player for an Alabama team that is ranked third in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Crimson Tide are also leading the nation at 91.7 points per game. With Holloway on the court this season, Alabama has been 9.7 points per 100 possessions better on offense than they’ve been without him, according to EvanMiya.com. He has also been the leading scorer in four of the team’s past 11 games. He’s an elite 3-point shooter (44%) and possesses the highest offensive rating on the team on KenPom.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello contributed to this report.
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