Jerome Simpson, who is the wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, has been suspended for the first 3 games of the 2012 season by the NFL for a conviction on felony drug charges concerning a marijuana shipment that was sent to his home. The incident happened in Fall of 2011, and the NFL suspension is due to the violation of the substance abuse policy that the NFL has. According yo authorities a shipment of marijuana weighing approximately 2.5 pounds was tracked to the home in Kentucky that Jerome Simpson resides in. When the home was searched police found an additional pound of marijuana located inside the home. This is not the first time that Simpson has faced charges concerning controlled substances, he had entered a plea of guilty prior to this incident for a charge of a prohibited act that related to controlled substances.
This latest conviction will cost Jerome Simpson dearly. He was sentenced to spend 15 days in the county jail, do 3 years of supervised probation, perform 200 hours of community service, and pay around $7,500 in a combination of court costs and fines for the incident. In addition Simpson must forfeit close to 25% of his $800,000 pay and he will miss the games on September 9, September 16, and September 24. A single drug conviction means that substance abuse treatment may benefit the individual in some cases, but 2 drug convictions and the large amount of marijuana involved shows that Jerome Simpson needs this treatment desperately.
