Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter facing misdemeanor charge; James Franklin addresses it
Penn State coach James Franklin addressed the criminal count facing second-year Nittany Lion linebacker Abdul Carter after practice on Wednesday night. WJAC-TV first reported earlier in the day that Carter, who is from Philadelphia, was charged by Penn State University police on Sept. 5 with a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession-small amount of personal use. The incident dates back to August.
“As you know, we don’t talk about those things publically,” Franklin said Wednesday. “Obviously, it’s being handled and dealt with internally. This is new to you guys. It’s not new to us.”
According to WJAC-TV:
“Police say on August 8th, university police was dispatched to the Nittany Apartments for a fire alarm activation. Authorities say further investigation determined that the fire alarm had been activated by Carter smoking marijuana in his dorm room. Police say Carter openly admitted to using marijuana and willing [sic] surrendered a baggie of the drugs to officers.”
Penn State started preseason camp on Aug. 2. An online court documents shows that a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4. An attorney for Carter was not listed on it to be contacted to speak on his behalf. Carter is not part of the group of players set to be available to reporters this week before the Lions meet Delaware at Noon ET on Saturday at Beaver Stadium on Peacock.
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Many outside observers had gripes about Carter’s play in Saturday’s season-opening victory over West Virginia after he recorded only a tackle for loss and quarterback hurry while seemingly overrunning some plays and missing some tackles. However, he played the most snaps of any linebacker in the victory and had the highest Penn State linebacker grade from Pro Football Focus. Franklin was asked to evaluate his play during his Tuesday news conference at Beaver Stadium.
“I thought he flashed,” Franklin said. “I know he wouldn’t have the same type of production in the stat sheet that he’s had before. But, in terms of being a presence on the field, in terms of allowing us to execute the defense at the level that we wanted to execute at, he allowed us to do those things. But I think you’ll see his production continue all season long starting this week just to continue to elevate.
“I know he’s got really high expectations and standards for himself and so do we, but trust me, we’re glad he’s in there, and we’ve got to remember he’s still a young player, started as a true freshman, so he’s still a young player who’s growing and learning. But as we all know, Abdul is one of the best linebackers in college football.”
