Janoris Jenkins cited for marijuana possession

Florida Gators junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who recently decided to return for his senior season rather than enter the 2011 NFL Draft, was cited – but was not taken to jail – over the weekend for misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Jenkins was caught by Gainesville, FL police rolling a joint in a nightclub bathroom on Saturday, according to The Gainesville Sun’s Robbie Andreu. The Associated Press reports that he was found at Status on the corner of University Avenue and SE 1st Street with less than 20 grams of marijuana in a “small, clear bag.”

Though Jenkins was technically arrested, he was not taken to jail because he signed a notice to appear in court, which he will fulfill on Feb. 17.

“We are aware of the incident with Janoris Jenkins and will handle it internally at this time,” head coach Will Muschamp said in an official statement.

His second legal incident in less than two years, Jenkins was arrested in May 2009 on misdemeanor charges of affray and resisting arrest without violence. He said at the time that he acting in self-defense and was only trying to protect himself during a group altercation in which someone he did not know attempted to steal his chain.

The State Attorney’s Office dropped the affray charge because there were not enough facts for that to have been applicable. They instead offered him a deferred prosecution agreement, which he agreed to sign. The terms of the agreement included Jenkins staying out of trouble for six months, paying $50 in court fees and either donating $150 to a charity or performing 15 hours of community service. His record has since been cleared of the charge because he fulfilled the demands of the agreement.

“It was a big learning experience,” Jenkins said of the incident. “I had a little off-the-field issue, but I bounced back from that. I gotta keep my head up, be strong and go forward.”

Then-head coach Urban Meyer did not play Jenkins in Florida’s 2009 season opener against Charleston Southern but allowed him to return to action one week later when UF faced Troy. Meyer refused to tell the media whether or not he was officially suspended.

Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images