INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Police arrested a passenger in a car driven by Shawne Williams of the Indiana Pacers for marijuana possession, an incident that team president Larry Bird said jeopardizes the forward's future with the Pacers.
Williams was not arrested but was written up for a window tint and seat belt violation after the police stop about 6 p.m. Friday in Carmel, said Lt. Jeff Horner, a spokesman for police in the northern Indianapolis suburb. The car did not belong to Williams.A passenger, 21-year-old Darrell Smith Jr. of Williams' hometown of Memphis, Tenn., was arrested on a misdemeanor charge after police found he had a small amount of marijuana, Horner told The Indianapolis Star. Smith was not in custody Sunday and his whereabouts were not clear.
Bird said Saturday he planned to meet with Williams to discuss the latest incident.
"While Shawne Williams was not involved in any arrest or any criminal wrongdoing, we are extremely upset and hugely disappointed he once again has put himself in a position that jeopardizes Shawne's future as a member of the Indiana Pacers," Bird said in a statement released by the team.
Williams' agent, Happy Walters, said Williams had not heard from the team and hoped to talk with Bird on Monday. Walters said the incident was blown out of proportion and noted that Williams hadn't been charged.
"He's not going to be charged. He did nothing wrong," Walters said Sunday.
Last month, Bird had said Williams was on "thin ice" with the team.
Williams, the Pacers' 2006 first-round draft pick, left early from a game last February after learning a murder suspect in Tennessee had been arrested shortly after leaving Williams' Indianapolis home.
Bird has made it clear that the Pacers want to shed their bad-boy reputation, and after a significant drop in home attendance last season, he wants players who can do three things - stay out of trouble, work hard and win.
