NFL players arrested with marijuana charge: Will fame save them? 

Editorial 

      On Feb. 17, Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Greg Robinson was caught with approximately 157 pounds of marijuana while he was at a border patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas. He will face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. 

      The complaint affidavit says that Robinson was planning to travel to Louisiana with former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver, Quan Bray. Robinson allegedly offered a third-party money to claim the marijuana, but that person refused. According to TMZ, border patrol said they found 23 mason jars, an electronic scale, $3,100 in cash and a can-sealing machine, along with several large duffle bags carrying the marijuana. Robinson and Bray were arrested, carrying an estimated street value of over $500,000. 

         In 2018, there were 663,367 marijuana arrests in the country: that’s one every 48 seconds. This number continues to increase as different states begin to legalize marijuana. A first possession offense of marijuana carries misdemeanor penalties of imprisonment for up to one year and a minimum $1,000 fine. The reality is that for a celebrity or influencer, this fine is nothing, as the median salary for all NFL players is $860,000 according to CNBC. However, the salary for the average person stated by the United States Census Bureau in 2017 is $56,516. This MINIMUM fine is more likely to hurt the “average” person in an arrest charge.  

     The maximum 20-year sentence is necessary for Robinson and Bray, as their fame and popular sports team are separate than their personal morals. It would only be fair for all offenders to receive the same punishment, and not receive a different punishment due to their fame or popularity.  

   As an NFL player, Robinson and Bray both have a large following, 43.5k and 24.6k respectively on Instagram. With this following, fans have their own thoughts about the arrest charge. Comments flooding their social media saying, “free you” and “free my guys”. 

    However, if this charge was compared to an arrest charge on the average person, the likelihood of the charges being dropped are lower since they do not have a following or famous background to support them.  

      Robinson and Bray were arrested because they violated the law. They faced this charge because they carried 157 pounds of marijuana in an attempt to sell it. Their punishment should be just as harsh as it would be on the average person. 

      Anything less sends the message that a person with a title, a  following, and a lot of money won’t be held accountable for anything.  That kind of thinking is dangerous and deplorable.