Report: Alabama freshman Tony Mitchell nears legal resolution following arrest on drug charges

Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell might soon have a path to rejoining the football team in practices and workouts. Mitchell has been suspended from team activities while he deals with an ongoing legal situation.

Police in Florida arrested Mitchell on March 15 after he led them in a pursuit after driving 141 miles per hour. Police seized $7000 in cash, nearly a half pound (226 grams) of marijuana and a gun, which Mitchell denied was his. But Mitchell is reportedly approaching a legal resolution, according to a report from AL.com.

“We believe this case is rapidly coming to a conclusion,” said Waylon Graham, Mitchell’s attorney.

Graham explained the legal process to AL.com. Basically, Florida law allows for “a withhold of adjudication,” meaning Mitchell would be charged with a felony but not convicted; he’d then be fast tracked for probation, as a first-time offender in the state.

The process could be resolved in a handful of weeks, Graham predicted.

But that still leaves whatever internal processes at Alabama, both from the university and football program. The university has a number of drug and alcohol abuse and prevention programs, and Graham told AL.com there’s a strong chance Mitchell ends up in one of them.

Days after his arrest, Alabama head coach Nick Saban suspended Mitchell.

“Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team and all team activities until we gather more information on the situation and what his legal circumstance is,” Saban said. “Everybody has the opportunity to make choices and decisions. There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“You got to be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around, and what you do. Who you associate yourself with and the situation you put yourself in. It is what it is but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

A police report from the incident states that police first noticed Mitchell driving a Dodge Challenger traveling at 78 mph in a 55 mph zone. However, when police activated their lights to initiate a traffic stop, Mitchell claimed that the passenger in the vehicle, Christophere Lewis, told him to “punch it.”

Mitchell and Lewis were able to escape police briefly as a result. However, just 15 minutes after the initial encounter, they were spotted again and this time pulled over.

Mitchell played high school football at Alabaster Thompson (Al.) High School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 116 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.