Bengals receiver Jerome Simpson was detained Tuesday, along with teammate Anthony Collins, after police intercepted a package delivered to Simpson’s home that contained 2.5 pounds of marijuana. Authorities found another six pounds of the leafy green non-vegetable in Simpson’s residence.
Simpson and Collins both attended practice on Wednesday. On Thursday, Collins was there. Simpson wasn’t.
Per WLWT, Simpson’s whereabouts were unknown.
Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, coach Marvin Lewis did not elaborate on the situation, other than to claim that Collins was not involved.
“We don’t know anything, so we’re going to continue to be supportive of those guys,” tackle Andrew Whitworth said, via WLWT. “This is a football team, and we talk about all being in together and we talk about supporting each other, so this is another instance where we’re going to do that.
“There’s no distractions. We know how to deal with situations that come up from time to time. . . . Don’t make judgments, try not to be critical,” defensive end Frostee Rucker said, also via WLWT.
Still, this isn’t a run-of-the-mill DUI, marijuana possession, and/or domestic abuse situation. It involves enough pot and supplies to suggest that someone was distributing pot, not just selling it. It is a distraction, and it will be a distraction.