Missouri Tigers starting cornerback Aarion Penton was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of marijuana possession. Penton was cited for possession of 35 grams or less which is a Class A misdemeanor, at 1:40 a.m. on the Missouri Campus near the corner of Virginia Ave. and Rollins St. according to the Columbia police arrest log.
Aarion Penton has been great for the Tigers this year starting all nine games. Will he be back in time to play Texas A&M? Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Penton, 20, has been suspended indefinitely from the football team according to Mizzou spokesman Chad Moller. It’s currently unclear if penton will be reinstated in time to play in next Saturday’s game against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Penton was arrested for the same offense allegedly on March 15, 2014 along with a teammate and two Mizzou basketball players but according to online court records, they were never convicted.
Penton, a sophomore, has been a stalwart in the Mizzou secondary so far this season having started all nine games so far. He leads the team with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. He is crucial to what is already a semi-shaky and depleted secondary. The tigers will also be without starting strong safety and team captain Braylon Webb for the first half of the Texas A&M game because Webb was flagged and ejected for targeting in the 4th quarter of Mizzou’s win over Kentucky last Saturday.
Under the NCAA’s rules for targeting penalties his ejection will continue into to the first half of the Tigers’ next game.
If Penton is still suspended for the game against Texas A&M, sophomore John Gibson will be the most likely candidate to take his place in the starting lineup. Gibson started the first three games of the season before being replaced for the next six by junior Kenya Dennis.
At some point Mizzou is going to have to deal with all these arrests. It’s obvious that the current personnel on Gary Pinkel’s staff aren’t capable of keeping these players in line and out of trouble. It may be time to bring in a disciplinarian who will help Pinkel to keep these players on the field and out of trouble.