
Justin Houston at the combine. (AP photo)
Citing NFL sources, FoxSports is reporting that Georgia linebacker Justin Houston tested positive for marijuana at the combine in February. Given that the draft is two days away, such news could have broken at no worse time — for Houston, if not for the teams that might have been interested in him.
Such news could also have an impact on the local NFL team’s first choice. It’s widely believed the Falcons are in need of a defensive end, and there’s thought that Houston could be as effective as a down lineman in a 4-3 as at outside linebacker in a 3-4. (Houston played in both spots under both alignments at Georgia.) But the Falcons under Dimitroff have made it a practice to minimize draft risks.
Drafting Justin Houston just got riskier. I can’t see the Falcons picking him now, at least not in Round 1, and I’d be surprised if he’s taken by any team before Round 2. Which would be a shame. He’s a big-time talent with a huge upside. (Sorry to lapse into draftspeak.) All NFL teams cast a critical eye on the draft — this is, after all, their business — and at the moment every franchise has to look at Houston and wonder: “How many guys put themselves in position to flunk their audition?”
This doesn’t mean Houston won’t get drafted somewhere by somebody. This doesn’t mean he can’t become a productive professional for the next 10 days. But it does mean he’s not going to make the money as a rookie he could have.
By Mark Bradley
368 comments Add your comment
D A DoubleU G
April 26th, 2011
5:16 pm
Headley Lamar,
shut up.
This is not a race thing. It’s the ugly end of a rivalry in which UGA and Tech LOVE to bash the other for anything embarrassing that happens to anybody remotely related to the other’s program.
juvenal
April 26th, 2011
5:17 pm
i think 680 said Bowers was +, also..again, trying to get back to the Falcons(i seldom post on pure dauug topics), as there are very few pass rushing DE’s, if either of these fall to where the Falcons are picking, they would be crazy not to take them-after all, Calvin admitted he’d tried it……
juvenal
April 26th, 2011
5:18 pm
& you can’t spell ugaly without uga……
William C Smith
April 26th, 2011
5:20 pm
Most of these kids didn’t turn down Harvard to play in the SEC. Also, the only good thing coming out of this is that other schools are worst. If I am ever caught for stealing anything I hope you remember Bernie Madoff.
Puffing the ganja could cost a former Georgia Bulldog
April 26th, 2011
5:20 pm
[...] April 26, 2011 Justin Houston, a standout DE/LB at UGA that opted to skip his senior year, has possibly puffed his way out of some cash: Citing NFL sources, FoxSports is reporting that Georgia linebacker Justin Houston tested positive [...]
ga tech 92
April 26th, 2011
5:21 pm
Irene P. Waters: So I smoked some pot, what is that a crime?
Patrick
April 26th, 2011
5:21 pm
HOW IS THIS STORY HEADLINE NEWSWORTHY??????
headley lamar
April 26th, 2011
5:21 pm
This is not a race thing. It’s the ugly end of a rivalry in which UGA and Tech LOVE to bash the other for anything embarrassing that happens to anybody remotely related to the other’s program.
If you don’t think race has anything to do with it your wrong. Hey I’m white but when I hear the Tech fans call UGA players thugs its basically code for “black”. Just like the birther nuts. Its just a veil for them to hide their racism.
Ga Shawty
April 26th, 2011
5:21 pm
This is not Houston’s first time testing positive for marijuana. As a UGA student, I remember back in 2009 Houston was suspended because he failed a school administered drug test aka “violating team policy.” All the UGA players are potheads. If you randomly drug test any UGA football player, I gurantee 90% would fail it.
http://www.sicemdawgs.com/2009/05/bruce-figgins-justin-houston-suspended-violation-team-rules/
D A DoubleU G
April 26th, 2011
5:22 pm
headly,
how do you make words italicized in your post?
Damn Good Dawg
April 26th, 2011
5:24 pm
Pro Football Weekly reports Gators OL Maurice Hurt tested positive for pot at scouting combine.
ga tech 92
April 26th, 2011
5:25 pm
headley lamar – I didn’t read all the posts, but if someone said “thug”…what word would you prefer them to use that you won’t call ‘racist’? Thug is a word, not realated to color…give us a new word.
Babineaux
April 26th, 2011
5:26 pm
Yea headly,
tell us how to make words italicized.
D A DoubleU G
April 26th, 2011
5:27 pm
Matt Skole is a thug, and he is white.
headley lamar
April 26th, 2011
5:29 pm
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/tech-baseball-player-skole-856270.html
Matt Skole a white Ga Tech baseball player could have killed someone with his car but it barely gets mentioned.
A black FORMER Uga football player tests positive for Marijuana and its a big deal.
Double standard. You betcha
brian
April 26th, 2011
5:30 pm
yes he will indeed be a 1st round pick pot or no pot
mike
April 26th, 2011
5:30 pm
did he smoke with the allman brothers or grateful dead….really who cares..he can play
Retard
April 26th, 2011
5:31 pm
Can you say 3rd round!!!!!!
headley lamar
April 26th, 2011
5:31 pm
To italicize you have to start the sentence with (i) and end it with (/i)
THOSE AREN’T THE REAL SYMBOLS. USE THE GREATER THAN OR LESS THAN SYMBOLS INSTEAD. OBVIOUSLY IF I USED THEM HERE IT WOULD ITALICIZE INSTEAD OF SHOWING U.
D A DoubleU G
April 26th, 2011
5:31 pm
I personally hope the Falcons still take him.
Whoever picks him, will one day have fans right back on these very blogs trying to rub it in that the Falcons were so idiotc for skipping on him.
ryan
April 26th, 2011
5:32 pm
How come the AJC ignored the Janoris Jenkins story he was arrested 3 times typical AJC when its a UGA player the jump on the story the Jenkins arrest is more serious .
2 field goals and a cloud of Bobo
April 26th, 2011
5:32 pm
headley lamar is able to read a person’s mind, especially GT fans.
Come on man.
chuck
April 26th, 2011
5:33 pm
Mr. Bradley and all other writers. Justin Houston is no longer a member of
georgia’s football team, so stop referring to him as that, or is it that you just can’t stand to let a slap at the dawgs go by. It is so pathetic. Georgia didn’t have anything to do with the situation, so let up!.
Race Card
April 26th, 2011
5:33 pm
You Go Headley.
UGAgrad71
April 26th, 2011
5:33 pm
Another dumb (6 letters)
Brilliant move by Justin Houston - VolNation
April 26th, 2011
5:34 pm
[...] move by Justin Houston The whole world knows you gotta pee in a cup at the NFL Combine. Report: UGA's Justin Houston tested positive for marijuana | Mark Bradley Hope it was good stuff. It probably cost him 7 [...]
ryan
April 26th, 2011
5:35 pm
Houston makes the front page but no mention of Jenkins being arrested 3 times .
juvenal
April 26th, 2011
5:35 pm
i guess uga volk don’t think anti-Asian slurs are racist-the first D1 football players in this state went to Tech-believe most of the Tech players dauugs like to bring up, even though only 5-10% of the problems they have up stoned mtn freeway, are not white-also, LOVE to bring up crime at Tech(what color was those 2 bandit?)…
Mr. Obvious
April 26th, 2011
5:36 pm
With using illegal drugs right before a PLANNED, KNOWN & PRE-SCHEDULED Drug Test, Mr. Houston could not look any more unintelligent, unwise and uneducated if he had gotten a neck tattoo.
Dr. Phil
April 26th, 2011
5:36 pm
Richt’s players have a hard time understanding that bad behavior has consequences.
WTF
April 26th, 2011
5:37 pm
Wonder if Joe Hamilton is his dealer? Got give those GT guys credit for being entrepreneurial
Weasal Dawg
April 26th, 2011
5:37 pm
It says UGA’s Justin Houston. Is he not still a student?
hey....
April 26th, 2011
5:37 pm
ALL DAWG!!
Sven Ottke
April 26th, 2011
5:38 pm
You UGa idiots don’t get it. It’s not the fact that he smoked pot. So what? It’s his sheer stupidity in timing you dolts. He has cost himself a spot in the first round and millions in coin. He’s too stupid to know when and when not to smoke pot. Do you have to have everything spelled out for you tools?
D A DoubleU G
April 26th, 2011
5:38 pm
Matt SKole is a thug.
Matt Skole is white.
If every UGA player that has been arrested for suspended driver’s licenses, not paying speeding tickets, possessing fireworks, drinking underage at college, emerging from alley’s on scooters, etc are “thugs”, then Matt Skole must be a Mob-Boss.
Matt Skole = thug
Coach Dooley
April 26th, 2011
5:39 pm
Do ya think the Ga staff already knew he used??? Hello- hello!!!
D A DoubleU G
April 26th, 2011
5:40 pm
Correct me ifI am wrong,
but didn’t Jonathan Dwyer fail some type of drug test or something at his combine which came out just before the draft, which plummeted him down to late 7th round??
juvenal
April 26th, 2011
5:40 pm
wtf, they take business classes(extra e, tho)-Lex, griffin gate ok?-(pot)headley, it’s ok, i don’t read italian…….
McDawg
April 26th, 2011
5:41 pm
why is the NFL even testing for pot??
JTH
April 26th, 2011
5:41 pm
Did he get the weed from Jonathon Babineaux?
juvenal
April 26th, 2011
5:41 pm
d a, you never drove…er…that way?
Historian
April 26th, 2011
5:41 pm
Not the first time this has happened. He basically pulled a Warren Sapp, who cost himself even more money before the draft.
D A DoubleU G
April 26th, 2011
5:43 pm
Of course I have.
I am sure you have driven drunk or illegally buzzed as well.
I am sure 90% of the people on this blog have crawled behind the wheel while drunk.
I personally do not think Matt Skole is a thug. I am more so writing those hings to let you Techies realize how f-ing STUPID you sound when things like that happen to UGA players.
UGASlobberknocker
April 26th, 2011
5:44 pm
I dont think it will matter that much when it comes to his draft position. He was projected as a late first rounder by some..but mostly as a 2nd rounder..I dont see him dropping to the third round even with this. He is too good.
I heard Chris Mortensen say on 680 the fan one time that it as many as 60% of NFL players smoke regularly and the teams are aware of it (in a generalized way)
Even though I know things probably wont change in my lifetime..I am constantly amazed that our society differentiates so much between weed and alcohol where by every measure, weed is the less damaging vice. Drinking alcohol to excess debilitates people far more than smoking too much weed does. People dont get violent when they are buzzed like they do when they are drunk. And physically, your body feels great the next day while with alcohol, the hangover is rough.
I know this, or course . by reading a lot.
Seriously, Im 50 plus now but when I was in college I smoked some pot as did about everybody else..good bad or ugly smart or dumb black or white. people I knew there who you would recognize today..and nobody ended up a heroin addict either believe it or not.
And if it were legalized, you would not only take the criminal element of it and clean out the jails, but make a lot of tax revenue on it at a time when that is needed. OK Im through preaching now
Italics
April 26th, 2011
5:44 pm
This is a test
Italics
April 26th, 2011
5:45 pm
Successful!
iPot-Headley/i
April 26th, 2011
5:45 pm
It’s All About Race
Babineaux
April 26th, 2011
5:46 pm
The Oakland Raiders quit testing for pot in 1969.
NoLion
April 26th, 2011
5:46 pm
I find it hard to believe, that he is the only one who tested positive. This was probably the first test he passed by himself.LOL. Anyway, he must have tested negative for steriods..
Alabama Communist
April 26th, 2011
5:46 pm
Up in smoke as usual, but who cares, they will not play next season due to shortage of Weed and 9 Billion bucks………