Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields is on injured reserve due to a concussion, but still grabbed headlines prior to the team’s playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys after he picked up a pair of marijuana possession charges Thursday, according to WBAY in Wisconsin.
The charges stem from an October incident when a drug task force investigator allegedly found “several jars of green plant material that was consistent in appearance with marijuana” at his home. Attorneys for Shields entered a not guilty plea on his behalf Friday.
Shields, 29, played just one game in 2016 but suffered a concussion in the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars and was eventually placed on injured reserve.
“Any time any of our players is in the protocol and dealing with a concussion, it’s a concern,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters in September. “That’s why we’ll evaluate Sam each and every day, and most importantly to make sure he’s healthy and goes through the challenges of what he’s dealing with.
“We definitely are aware of his history, and that will factor in on how we move forward.”
Shields earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2014, but has suffered several head injuries with his 2016 season ending due to his fifth reported concussion.