After three days of silence following an arrest in Oklahoma for aggravated DUI, Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon will address the media on Wednesday afternoon.
Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union reports that Blackmon, coach Mike Mularkey, and G.M. Gene Smith will face the music at 1:15 p.m. ET. The fact that all three will attend strongly suggests that the team and the player have come to an understanding regarding the arrest, and regarding the future expectations for the fifth overall pick in the draft.
Don’t expect Blackmon to say much. As we pointed out on Tuesday, anything he says can and will (if helpful) be used against him by a prosecutor who apparently has no plan to exercise lenience.
Stellino characterizes the press conference as an effort by the team to ensure that the arrest won’t be “the focal point of conversation” during next week’s mandatory minicamp. (I know our collective attention span is shrinking, but what else would be the focal point of conversation at next week’s minicamp?)
Stellino also points out that Blackmon could have an unlikely mentor within the organization as he deals with the aftermath of driving despite an alleged 0.24 percent blood-alcohol concentration. Defensive line coach Joe Cullen was arrested twice in one week six years ago with the Lions for alcohol-related offenses, and Cullen has had no issues since then.
Of course, it was much easier for Cullen to fade into the background, since that’s where he was before the arrests. For Blackmon, the challenge will be to deal with the incident while also occupying a high profile with the franchise.