Alabama Commit Jaykwon Walton Arrested On Marijuana Charge; Nate Oats Says He Will Not Play For Tide

Alabama basketball has another problem on its hands, this time with Wichita State transfer Jaykwon Walton. According to a report, the highly-touted transfer was arrested Saturday night for marijuana possession. And that arrest cost Walton his spot on the Alabama roster.

Just last month, Walton committed to the Tide, but now Walton is facing a misdemeanor charge in Tuscaloosa. According to The Patch, Tuscaloosa police had received numerous calls about a large gathering that prompted officers to respond to the scene Saturday night. Officers then approached a vehicle where Jaykwon Walton was a passenger.

Soon after the news broke, coach Nate Oats released a statement: “Alabama is no longer recruiting Jaykwon Walton and he will not be a student-athlete at The University of Alabama.”

Jaykwon Walton. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)

According to Tuscaloosa Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Taylor, officers notice the smell of marijuana and asked that all three occupants exit the vehicle. After exiting, Walton told officers that a loaded gun was under his seat. Upon further inspection, officers also found 20 grams of marijuana on the passenger floorboard.

This incident comes on the heels of Alabama dealing with catastrophic failure in the public relations department. After the tragic Jan. 15 shooting death of Jamea Harris, Brandon Miller was not arrested for transporting a loaded weapon to the scene, as he claims he had no knowledge of the weapon being in his car.

On Saturday night, upon a further search of the vehicle where Walton was a passenger, police officers located two additional loaded guns and 12 more grams of marijuana. Passenger Deshawn Harris was also charged with marijuana possession in the second degree. Both Walton and Harris were released after posting a $500 bond, according to jail records.

Walton is originally from Montgomery, Ala., and played at Georgia during his freshman season. Following that season, he transferred back to the Tuscaloosa area to play at Shelton State Community College, which is about 15 minutes south of Tuscaloosa.

Now, after playing one season at Wichita State and transferring back to the State of Alabama, he will not be suiting up for the Tide.