Update from Mack and the Statesman
Lawyers now involved. Spinning or not? You decide.
Details emerge on Longhorns’ arrest
By
Suzanne Halliburton | Monday, September 4, 2006, 03:39 PM
Austin lawyer Jamie Balagia is representing both Tarell Brown and Tyrell Gatewood, the Longhorn football players who were arrested early Monday with ex-Texas player Aaron Harris on drugs and weapons charges.
He told the American-Statesman Monday that both his clients were drug tested — at their request — to prove that the small amount of marijuana that led to their arrest was not theirs.
“All in all, it was a weird set of circumstances,” Balagia said. “When the facts come out, this will be resolved pretty quickly.”
According to the arrest affidavit, Brown was arrested after deputies pulled over Harris in a traffic stop on Interstate 35 North just before 3 a.m. Brown was asleep in the back seat. Deputies saw a gun in his lap, and banged on the windows of the car to wake him. Balagia said the weapon was a “recreational gun” Gatewood had purchased two weeks ago for target practice. The report said it was a loaded 9 mm handgun. Balagia said that Brown had found the gun on the floorboard of the backseat and picked it up.
Texas Coach Mack Brown released a statement Monday.
“We are aware of the situation with Tarell (Brown) and Tyrell (Gatewood) and have met with both of them,” Brown said. “We’re working closely with the young men and the authorities. At this time, we are holding them out of all team functions as we gather as much information as possible before making a team decision.”
Tarell Brown and Gatewood were released from Travis County Jail about noon today, seven hours after they were arrested on misdemeanor marijuana charges. Brown was also charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon. They were released on a personal bond. Harris was released around 4 p.m., according to Balagia.