Former South Carolina star Shi Smith arrested on multiple charges on Friday

Former South Carolina Gamecocks and current Carolina Panthers wide receiver Shi Smith was arrested for multiple charges on Friday. According to Marc Whiteman of WYFF News 4, Smith was carrying an unlawful handgun and was in possession of drugs while going 16-24 mph over the legal limit.

“Former Gamecock, current Carolina Panther Shi Smith has been arrested in Union County for the unlawful carrying of a handgun and drug possession,” Whiteman said via Twitter.

The Carolina Panthers shortly released a statement, saying the franchise had no further comment on the situation.

“This is a pending legal matter and there will be no further comment at this time,” the Panthers said.

Smith was arrested in his hometown of Union County, SC, and will have his first court appearance on June 14.

A sixth-round pick of Carolina during the 2021 NFL draft, Smith caught six passes on 11 targets for a total of 104 yards during his rookie season. Three of the receptions resulted in first downs for the Panthers, with a career-long of 63 yards coming against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Smith was a four-star prospect coming out of the 2017 recruiting class according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services. He ranked as the No. 26 wide receiver in the country and No. 2 from the state of South Carolina.

During his time with the Gamecocks, Smith got 174 passes for 2,204 yards and 13 touchdowns. The wide receiver had a career year as a sophomore in 2018, having a high of 673 yards and four touchdowns throughout the season. Smith was not able to build on the stats and improve as an upperclassman before getting drafted in the sixth round.

Smith had four 100-yard games while at South Carolina, going for 156 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions against the Tennessee Volunteers during their 2019 matchup. He was never able to haul in multiple scores in one game.