DA cites insufficient evidence in not prosecuting Bama players

Prosecution of Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson and safety Laurence "Hootie" Jones has been declined, according to a filing from the Ouachita Parish (Louisiana) district attorney's office.

The filing cites insufficient evidence, for Robinson, on charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and illegal possession of a stolen firearm and, for Jones, possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Both were arrested in mid-May in their hometown of Monroe, Louisiana. A court appearance set for late last week was delayed before Monday's news.

"I want to emphasize once again that the main reason I'm doing this is that I refuse to ruin the lives of two young men who have spent their adolescence and teenage years, working and sweating, while we were all in the air conditioning," district attorney Jerry Jones told KNOE-TV.

According to the police report, an officer approached the players' vehicle at a park that was closed and smelled marijuana. The report alleges that a bag of marijuana and a handgun were in plain sight, and a stolen handgun was found under the passenger seat.

Robinson was allegedly driving the vehicle with Jones as his passenger. The stolen-firearms charge Robinson faced was a felony, while the other charges for Jones and himself were misdemeanors.

Alabama coach Nick Saban hasn't announced any punishment for the two players, saying multiple times that he wanted to gather more information about the arrests.

Robinson is an All-SEC left tackle entering his junior season. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound junior, started every game since his freshman year in 2014. ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has him as the No. 7 player on his early 2017 Big Board.

Jones, a reserve in his first two years at Alabama, was widely regarded as one of the top safety prospects coming out of high school.