Ole Miss DL Robert Nkemdiche charged with marijuana possession

ByDavid Ching ESPN logo
Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Ole Missdefensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche has been charged with marijuana possession as a result of his fall at a hotel, the Atlanta Police Department announced Monday.

After arriving on the scene, police searched the room from which Nkemdiche fell at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, Georgia, on Saturday night. According to the incident report, the investigating officer discovered "seven rolled marijuana cigarettes, rolled in Cigarillo Blunt papers" and reported that "the room was in complete disarray."

Officers linked the drugs to Nkemdiche and charged him with possession of marijuana.

The investigation into how Nkemdiche fell is still ongoing, according to the Atlanta PD.

According to the incident report released Monday, police say Nkemdiche went through his hotel room window onto a ledge that encircles the building. He then fell from that ledge to the ground.

Police estimated Sunday that both falls were about 15 feet. Police also reported to ESPN.com on Sunday that the hotel room window was broken.

Upon arrival, Atlanta Police spoke to the All-SEC lineman -- whom the incident report says was conscious and breathing while lying on the ground near the Hyatt's sidewalk and driveway -- and a group of several associates. None of them said they knew why Nkemdiche had fallen out the double-pane window.

Nkemdiche later met with police investigators at Grady Memorial Hospital, where he had been transported in stable condition after the incident.

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said Monday that he was told by Nkemdiche that he had gotten stitches in his back and leg and also had a swollen ankle.

"I said, 'Are you OK?' and he said, 'Yes, I am OK, Coach,'" Freeze said. "He said he was sorry. I said, 'We will talk about all the details after we talk about all the facts, but I'm glad that you are OK.' Sometimes, when bad things happen, there are some silver linings. It's a blessing that he wasn't on the 10th floor; it could have been tragic. That was the short conversation."

Freeze said he wasn't sure whether Nkemdiche would be back in time for the Sugar Bowl.

"There are no cut-and-dry answers to these things until you know what you are dealing with," Freeze said. "Kids make mistakes all the time. I wish there was a pattern that says this is exactly what you do when this happens, but we don't have one of those. So we'll get all the facts. The first thing we will do is let our doctors look at him and make sure he is healthy and everything is well. It really is too hard to tell."

Nkemdiche was ESPN's No. 1 overall prospect when he signed with Ole Miss out of Grayson High School, which is located in Loganville, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.

He is widely considered one of the top prospects for the 2016 NFL draft should he decide to forgo his senior season with the Rebels. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. lists Nkemdiche as the No. 5 overall prospect on his Big Board and the top defensive tackle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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