A Canadian Football League player was arrested in California after federal agents caught him with nearly 67 pounds of Ecstasy tablets, the Vancouver Sun reported Thursday.
Yonus Davis, who played as a rookie last season with the CFL's British Columbia Lions, faces one count of possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
The 26-year-old was arraigned April 13 and returned to federal court in San Jose, Calif., six days later for a detention hearing. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Davis, who played in college at San Jose State, was arrested April 9 by DEA agents posing as FedEx workers when he accepted a package containing the Ecstasy pills, according to court documents obtained by the Sun.
He reportedly told authorities he was expecting a parcel containing 40 "boats" of ecstasy — one "boat" is street slang for about 1,000 tablets.
A search of Davis' BMW 745i turned up about $7,000 in cash, the report stated.
"I will say that Yonus was remorseful. He put himself and the organization in a difficult situation. I still believe, to this day, that Yonus is a good guy with a big heart," Lions coach and general manager Wally Buono said.
"You do feel for a guy who played for you. We do have compassion for the individual. Hypothetically, Yonus could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The naive part of me wants to believe that. But it's a serious charge, and we're taking it seriously. We won't make a decision on his future, until more facts are in."
Buono said it was too early to know what impact the case would have on Davis' future at the team.
"We have a football concern, a public relations concern, a league concern and a personal concern," Buono said. "I think, as you know, this football club takes its community responsibility very seriously. That's not to say we're not concerned for Yonus. But you want to weigh the facts, because no single individual is greater than the organization. We shake our heads [at the charge]. At the end of it, we have to make a decision that's good for all parties."
Davis, who is out on bail, will next appear in court on May 24.
He was named the most outstanding special teams player in the CFL's West Division last season.
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