Ex-USF star Peyton facing cocaine charge

We interrupt the draft blog for an update on former USF receiver Johnny Peyton, who probably won't be playing football at Dubuque this fall. Thanks to the Times' Molly Moorhead for this update:

DADE CITY -- Former Pasco High and USF football player Johnny Peyton was arrested this week, charged with possession of cocaine.

The Sheriff’s Office said Peyton was riding in Tommytown in a truck that was pulled over for a cracked windshield about 4 p.m. Wednesday. As a deputy approached, Peyton tossed something in the backseat. A police dog found an orange cigar tube, inside which, deputies say, was crack cocaine.

Peyton, 21, of Lacoochee, was arrested in April on an outstanding warrant after he was spotted at the Pasco County Courthouse watching a trial. The warrant was for violation of probation from a misdemeanor trespassing charge. USF coach Jim Leavitt announced in February 2006 that he had dismissed Peyton from his team, but Peyton said he left of his own accord. Peyton remained jailed Thursday in lieu of $2,500 bail.

Comments

[Joey]

"he was spotted at the Pasco County Courthouse watching a trial"... seriously, who does this?

[Greg Auman]

In his defense, it was his brother's trial.

[verybullish]

Out of all the hobbies to have, why smoke crack? Man, how far do we fall.

[Matt]

Not to nitpick (which means here comes the nitpicking...) did Peyton ever do anything at USF to warrant the "star" label? I think the only time he made any real news football-wise was when he switched his commitment from Pitt to USF. After that...not much. Here endeth the nitpicking

[Stephen]

This is a perfect case of a kid that never should have gone to USF, just because it was too close to home for him. A change of scenery would have been the best thing for him. He should have stuck with his Pitt commitment. Don't know if things would have turned out different, but it could not have gone worse for him.

[Greg Auman]

Matt, I think if you lead your college team in touchdown receptions, however many it might be, I think it qualifies you as a star. I do see your point, and to be fair, I had "receiver" in the headline initially and it kicked it over to a second line. Stephen, I think you make a very astute observation. Kids always point out how good it is that a college is close to home, but that also means it's close to other things besides family. ...

[Ryan Roark]

Shocking.

The downward spin of such a good kid and talented athlete. I wonder when the character of athletes comes into question when recruting players at USF. Heck at USF in the past 1 1/2 you could say that the Bulls are the Bengals of college football with all the off the field problems they have had. Welcome to big time college football huh!

[AnhVu Nguyen]

Given his off the field problems, we should not discount Peyton's contribution to USF. He led USF in receiving yards and ypg his freshman season. I believe those are still USF freshman records. I sure hope Peyton can get his life together because he had great talent.

[Terry Lucas]

USF is no where near the same level as the Criminatti Bengals... Nice unnamed post by the way you UCF booster. You're hating because USF has surpassed FTU in football when you guys had a 26-year headstart. Keep recruiting those IVY League players... It'll help you dominate C-USA (ha!)

[Ryan]

I disagree stephen,
I'm not sure that a change of venue would stop someone from using drugs. That would be assuming that drugs are difficult to find, and only your homegrown friends are capable of supplying you with such things. Also, that the individual in question would somehow undergo a complete personality change; from a person who likes to get crazy and take risks to a person that does what he is supposed to and avoids pitfall traps (such as trying to fit in at a party). It takes will power or counselling, or at least the desire to be different; not scenery to make such a change to oneself. Look at the NFL or any professional sport for that matter. How many athletes get in trouble in areas they don't even live in. Road-trips, during the season, in the NBA and NFL seem to be prevalent get into trouble, do drugs and buy prostitutes situations. But if you're looking for a college example, note UConn last year. Didn't they cut several players for violations while away from home and staying in Tampa. If Peyton had gone to Pitt and done this, people would be saying, "If only he had stayed at home and received support from his family and friends, he would have been able to avoid all of this trouble."

[A Cub Man]

Wow. Another day, another USF related arrest. If he was still on the team Leavitt would be forced to make him do 10 more up-downs as punishment. Leavitt sure knows how to pick some winners.

[Matt Sufficool]

Hopefully Johnny will turn his life around. Agree with you Stephen, he might have done better further away from home.
Dade City and my hometown Bville have similar drug problems and offer very little along the line of high paying jobs. Know of quite a few in my town who have fallen into to trouble in the dope game.

[scott]

Cub Man...your an idiot!!! plain and simple!

[USFMikeB]

Wow. Another day, another fan of a different school that is obsessed with USF. Leavitt has turned USF from a school that nobody in sports knew about to a school that has other programs jealous of us.

that kid could play, he made some amazing catches, was 6'4-5, could jump out of a gym, with speed. but never developed into that number 1 go to receiver everyone was hoping for. i hope he gets back into football in some capacity and turns his life around.

[Terry]

How does a person who is not on the USF football team, nor enrolled, be USF related??? He's been off the team for almost a year and a half.

[A Cub Man]

I'm a loser thats why I root for the Cubs. I think UCF is good.

[G.A.]

Peyton's not so far removed he's not relevant on this blog -- the first 18 posts here validate that. We didn't put anything in the sports section of the paper because we thought he was far enough removed not to merit a mention there -- a short story ran in our Pasco County regional section. The Tampa Tribune, following the next day, did put it in Sports, with a headline, for what that's worth. ...

To Terry Lucas,

No by no means are the Bulls the Bengals, but you must admit that there is an issue withthe character of recuits that are coming to USF. I understand there is a demand to win now. However, at what cost do you place the winning over the character of STUDENT-athletes at your institution. I personally know Johnny and am very familiar with Dade City, B-Ville, and Surronding Areas that suffer from limited oppurtunites, but that doesn't excuse people for what they do....We make decesions in life that we sometimes regret or that wake us up to the real world. Hopefully Johnny P-Toy to people that know him will see this as a wake up call and have a blessed and successful life helping people avoid the mistakes he made! Go Noles!!!!

Yes b/c we all know the Noles has never had any charecter issues. Right Free Shoes University?

[Mark]

Can someone with their vast wisdom please explain to me how one recruits character. If a recruit has never had legal trouble, has become academically eligable by NCAA standards, and has been recomended by his H.S. coach, how do you foresee the future. Apparently Leavitt saw for himself after Peyton was here 18 months and tossed him off the team. Its intellectually simplistic and ignorant to blame Leavitt for not recruiting character, only Peyton's to blame but somehow the Leavitt critics always find a way to put the onus on his shoulders.

I love Leavitt he has done a tremondous job at USF hands down. I am not blaming Leavitt. He doesn't recruit every player at USF only the 4 or 5 star recuits who to my knowledge have faired very well. I am sorry that I may have come off as a Leavitt skeptic, but I think anyone who can do what he has done here at USF is amazing and I have nothing, but respect for him. However, I guess the big issue here is the Character of the Student-Athlete in all of college athletics. Oh and Free.Shoes.University good one!LOL.... I have a question though do you think there is anything that can be done at the institution to influence athletes to stop thier riduculous behavior?

[T]

I have read all of these comments and some have important points and some are plan stupid. I believe everyone in life goes thru ups and downs and many time, many are trying to judge a book by its cover.
Many do not know all the facts and many does not know what a person has went thru and is currently going thru. Johnny is a good person and yes as many of us have experienced a bad choice in Life and now he has to pick up the pieces from it and go on. I know he will come from out of the slope he's in and make his life into what He wants it to be.

A lot of us have made terrible decision but have not suffered the consequences from them. Some of us are Blessed to be missed and some are not that lucky.

oh, to comment on the comment about " how a person with behavior issues qualify academically". Johnny is very intelligent and probably will score higher than you on a standized test.

Let us not make this about a coach decision or character, it's about a person making a decision that he has to live, learn, and grow from. Love One another.

[Reality]

Greg,

Any update on Peyton?