Two Towson University football players were arrested on drug charges two days before the team?s homecoming loss to Hofstra last weekend.
Senior cornerback Eric Clark and junior linebacker Trent Covington were charged with one count of possessing marijuana and one count of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute. Baltimore County police arrested the pair Thursday night at about 9 at their apartment on the 200 block of Duke of York Lane in Cockeysville, county police spokesman Cpl. Mike Hill said.
Hill said he could not release any more details about the case because the arrests are a part of a larger, ongoing criminal investigation.
One day after the arrests, Towson indefinitely suspended Clark and Covington for violating the university?s code of student conduct. Towson football coach Gordy Combs said he could not comment about the players? situation due to privacy policies.
Covington, 21, who previously played for Long Reach High School in Columbia, appeared in 25 games and was mostly a reserve. He was second on the team with two interceptions last year and had 15 tackles in five games in this fall.
Clark, 22, was expected to be a vital part of Towson?s defense this season. The Philadelphia native had appeared in every Tigers football game since his freshman season. He had 121 career tackles and broke up 13 passes. He was sixth on the team this season with 30 tackles through six games.
Towson?s director of judicial affairs, Pat Frawley, said she is prohibited from discussing the specifics of the case because of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. However, she said generally when students are charged with crimes that involve distributing drugs, they are removed from school on an interim basis until the case is resolved.
“Once the case is handled in the courts, we?ll go back and decide what further formal sanctions will take place,” Frawley said.
Clark is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9 for a preliminary hearing. No court date has been set for Covington at this time.
