FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers was arrested Friday night and charged with possession of marijuana less than 24 hours before NFL teams had to reach the 53-man roster limit.
Gathers was released from jail Saturday morning after posting bond. He was arrested at approximately 10:52 p.m. CT Friday in the 3100 block of Parkwood Boulevard in Frisco, Texas. Frisco police say they found Gathers with less than 2 ounces of marijuana.
His attorneys issued a statement Saturday, saying Gathers "sincerely apologizes" for the incident.
"He would like to express his gratitude for the respect and professionalism of the Frisco PD," the statement by Chip Lewis and Hunter Biederman said. "Rico sincerely apologizes to his teammates and the Cowboy organization for any distraction his arrest may cause as the team prepares to start the season. To this end, we will have no further comment while the matter is pending."
A Cowboys official said Saturday that the team is looking into the situation.
Gathers was not among the team's cuts Saturday as they got down to their 53-man roster. He had been on the bubble for much of camp but has been a favorite of owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
He caught 10 passes for 83 yards during the preseason but was the fourth tight end behind Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin and rookie Dalton Schultz.
The Cowboys selected Gathers in the sixth round of the 2016 draft even though he had not played football since eighth grade. He was an All-Big 12 performer in basketball as a Baylor power forward and was among the nation's leading rebounders.
Gathers spent last season on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in practice. He was on the practice squad in 2016.
