Redskins rookie cornerback Bashaud Breeland was cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond on Monday, the night before the team ended its three-week training camp in the city.
Breeland, 22, was issued a summons for simple possession of marijuana at 10:40 p.m. by Edwin Alvarez, a VCU Police Department officer. No additional information was made available by a campus police department spokeswoman, citing pending adjudication, though the department’s online crime log notes a drug violation under the same case number at the Sunoco gas station at 600 W. Grace Street.
A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26 in Richmond.
A Redskins spokesman said in a statement that the team is “aware of the incident and we will not make any further comment.”
Breeland’s agent, Hadley Englehard, did not respond to repeated requests for comment Wednesday afternoon. Breeland also could not be reached for comment. It is uncertain if he has hired a lawyer.
According to the NFL policy on substances of abuse, players convicted of a violation of the law related to substances of abuse other than alcohol are subject to discipline from commissioner Roger Goodell.
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Players “will normally be subject to discipline up to and including suspension without pay for four regular and/or post-season games for a first violation of the law,” though a player’s previous disciplinary record will be considered with regards to such punishments.
Breeland practiced with the Redskins on Tuesday morning before the team broke camp in Richmond. The players were given Wednesday off and will resume workouts Thursday morning at Redskins Park, their full-time facility in Ashburn.
Washington selected Breeland in the fourth round of the NFL draft in May after he left Clemson following his junior season. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound cornerback earned second-team all-ACC honors after he made 74 tackles, broke up 13 passes and had two sacks in 2013, when he started 12 of 13 games for the Tigers.
Through training camp, Breeland has worked as a second-team cornerback and occasionally as a nickelback, and he had six tackles, tying a team-high, in the Redskins’ 23-6 victory over New England in the preseason opener last Thursday.
Defensive coaches have praised Breeland’s football knowledge, his adaptability and his aggression since reconvening for the start of training camp on July 23.
“When you first get out there, whether it’s rookie minicamp, you just want to see a guy play,” defensive backs coach Raheem Morris said last week. “You see what he does, what he did at Clemson, and that’s what he did. Then you go and try to correct a couple things and do a couple things technically wise, like we do it, and he’s been awesome at picking those things up.”
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• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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