TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Former Alabama Crimson Tide running back Dee Hart was arrested by Tuscaloosa police Sunday for possession of marijuana and giving false information, according to reports.
Hart, who was poised to enter the coming season as a junior, hadn't been with the program since the Crimson Tide lost to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl in January.
"Dee Hart has not been a part of the football team since the bowl game and has not participated in any of the offseason program," the university said in a statement. "Hopefully he will learn from this mistake and continue to work toward completing his degree, which he is on track to do by the summer."
Hart carried 22 times for 78 yards and a touchdown last season. The former top-10 running back prospect never rose above third on the depth chart since signing with Alabama in 2011, despite being what coach Nick Saban described as one of the hardest-working players on the team.
"Dee Hart is one of the most competitive guys on our team," Saban said before the start of last season. "If we had everybody on our team that was as competitive as Dee Hart, we wouldn't be too worried about complacency, or being selfish, or accountability, or any of that stuff that we talk about and worry about all the time because we have success."
The Florida native's career at Alabama was slowed because of back-to-back ACL injuries, first in the summer of 2011 and then again in the fall of 2012. Saban tried Hart at cornerback last spring but ultimately moved him back to running back and special teams.
Hart is the second running back to leave Alabama since the close of the 2013 season. Former four-star prospect Alvin Kamara said recently he would transfer.
