Justin Blackmon Arrested Again, Charged With DUI

Justin Blackmon, currently serving an indefinite suspension from the NFL and Jacksonville Jaguars, is in trouble again after being arrested for the fourth time, according to a report from ESPN. The talented but troubled wide receiver was arrested early Saturday morning in Oklahoma and charged with a DUI. Just 25-years-old, Blackmon has now been arrested for alcohol-related issues on three separate occasions. He was released several hours after the arrest and is required to appear in court on Monday.

A former fifth overall draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Justin Blackmon has not played in a game since October, 2013. After a promising rookie season that featured 64 receptions for 865 yards and five touchdowns, Blackmon was suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season after failing an offseason drug test. But that wasn’t the first time he found himself in trouble with the law. Three weeks after the Jaguars selected him with their first round pick, Blackmon failed a breathalyzer test during a traffic stop in Stillwater, Oklahoma, that showed his blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit. He was then forced to enter the league’s substance abuse program.

Blackmon’s rap sheet began taking shape in 2010 when he was arrested in Texas on a misdemeanor DUI charge. Those charges were later reduced to underage alcohol possession after the then-19-year-old was caught speeding just outside of Dallas. Later in July, 2014, Blackmon pleaded no contest to marijuana possession after another traffic violation. Again, he was able to have those charges reduced, this time to disorderly conduct. And again, he sought help, completing a voluntary drug rehabilitation treatment program.

According to a report from TMZ, police say Justin Blackmon was slurring his words, appeared “wasted,” and became angry when he realized he was being booked for the DUI. The report indicated Blackmon had been at Chevy’s Bar in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and was pulled over by police because of a defective brake light on his 2015 Jeep Wrangler. Below is Blackmon’s mugshot obtained by TMZ and posted by multiple outlets.

This is likely the end of Justin Blackmon’s NFL career, feelings echoed in the past by Jaguars general manager David Caldwell, though they have not released him and do not intend to thus far. The team does not have to pay Blackmon’s salary because of his designation on the reserve/suspended list. If he were to return, which seems less and less likely by the year, he would still have two and a half years left on his rookie contract. Even then, a two-month vetting process would be required once he determined he would want to apply for reinstatement.

Blackmon was an all-world wide receiver during his college career at Oklahoma State University. He is one of only two players in college football history to win the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top receiver) twice. He was the first receiver to win the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award. Blackmon was unanimously named a first-team All American twice in 2010 and 2011, and his final performance for the Cowboys earned him the Fiesta Bowl MVP. Blackmon led Oklahoma State to a 41-38 overtime victory over Stanford after posting 8 catches, 186 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Justin Blackmon’s finest individual performance came in November of his rookie season when he put up 236 yards on 14 receptions and a touchdown in a loss to the Texans. Houston’s Andre Johnson went off for 273 of his own, marking just the second time ever that opposing receivers had more than 200 yards in the same game. A glimpse into the potential that Blackmon has since wasted away thanks to another arrest.

[Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images]