Correction appended: June 20, 2012.
Wide receiver Devon Smith is no longer with the Penn State football team, a source close to the program told the Collegian Wednesday evening.
The source did not know exactly what factors played into Smith's current status with the team, but the source believed it was “a bunch of little things.”
Assistant athletic director for communications Jeff Nelson was unaware of a roster move as of 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
In April, Smith was charged with marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. He waived his May 30 preliminary hearing, and a trial date has not been set, according to court documents.
On March 14, University Police officers were originally dispatched to Smith's apartment to look into a potential break-in and, upon entering the apartment, an officer saw drug paraphernalia, police said. Police then issued a search warrant and seized multiple blunts, a bottle of liquor, a grinder, a scale, a plastic bag with suspected marijuana and prescription drugs, police said.
In April, attorney Allan L. Sodomsky of Reading, issued a statement saying that former football player Jack Crawford, 23, of Longport, N.J. — who was also named on the search warrant issued before police seized the items — had not lived in the apartment since December 2011. Crawford is not charged in connection with the items police found in the apartment.
At the time, football coach Bill O’Brien said he was still gathering information on the matter and hadn’t made any publicly released decisions.
O’Brien addressed Smith’s status with the team again on May 8 at the Coaches Caravan stop in Bethlehem.
“Like I’ve said all along, I believe in Devon,” O’Brien said. “And he’s got his side of the story, and we’ll let the process play out. Anything I do with Devon Smith, punishment-wise, will be between Devon and I. He’s a good kid and he’s done everything I’ve asked him to do to this point, so we’ll let the process play out"
Smith had missed some time this spring due to a foot injury. Last season, he caught 25 passes for two touchdowns 402 yards. Despite standing at only 5-foot-7, Smith’s speed often helped him to make big plays on offense.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated information about a statement made by attorney Allan L. Sodomsky. The attorney said Jack Crawford had not lived in the apartment since December 2011. The Collegian apologizes for this error.
