STERLINGTON, La. -- LSU defensive end Claude Wroten Jr. was arrested on a drug charge after police stopped him for speeding and found marijuana in his car, authorities said Thursday.
Wroten, 22, of Bastrop, was booked late Wednesday for possession
of marijuana with intent to distribute and was released on $3,000
bond from the Ouachita Correctional Center, police said.
Officers stopped Wroten on U.S. 165 around 11:35 p.m. Wednesday
just north of Sterlington High School, Police Chief Barry Bonner
said. He was clocked at 77 mph in a 65 mph zone, Bonner said.
When asked if he had anything illegal in the car, Bonner said
Wroten admitted having marijuana for personal consumption. Officers
found one bag inside the car in plain view and discovered another
tucked in his shoe.
Wroten also had $4,000 in cash, which he said was a loan from
his financial adviser to prepare for NFL training, the chief said.
Police were unable to immediately contact the adviser, whose name
was not released.
Wroten, a senior, played on the LSU team that defeated the
University of Miami in the Dec. 20 Peach Bowl. Wroten was credited
with 45 tackles and five sacks this season. Early NFL draft
predictions had Wroten being picked in early rounds.
He could not be reached for comment. His father, Claude Wroten
Sr., answered the phone at the family's home in Bastrop on
Thursday.
"I believe he was set up because Claude is not a drug dealer,"
the elder Wroten said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"But that's what happens when kids don't listen to their
parents."
Wroten's father said he and his wife had been discussing their
son's future with an agent, whom he wouldn't name, but Claude Jr.
decided to go his own way. "He was talking to some fellow in New
York who opened his eyes so wide," he said. "When he started
making his own decisions, this is what happened."
The Wrotens said they had not yet spoken with their son, who
lives with them. He said he did not know if an attorney had been
assigned to the case and was unsure what would happen next.
LSU Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette said Wroten had
completed his athletic eligibility.