Marijuana Policy Project

Former University of Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye was among three star players who admitted during their NFL combine interviews that they used marijuana, according to published reports.

Citing anonymous sources, Pro Football Weekly reported that Okoye, Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson and Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams said while being videotaped for their interviews with teams that they had used the drug. All are projected as potential top-10 picks.

Okoye, 19, was meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday and was unavailable for comment. His agent, Ian Greengross, declined to comment to The Courier-Journal yesterday but said he stood by his remarks to NFL.com in a story posted on Wednesday.

In that story, Greengross said Okoye admitted to smoking marijuana when he was a 16-year-old freshman at U of L but not since then. He said Okoye didn't want to lie to future employers and that he had not failed any drug tests during college.

Both stories said Okoye's admission should not hurt his draft status. The NFL.com story quoted one league head coach as saying, "It's not the kids that admit it that you worry about; you worry about the ones that don't."

U of L spokesman Rocco Gasparro released a statement about Okoye yesterday.

"Amobi spoke to NFL teams in confidence, and a team leaked out that information, which was unfortunate," the statement read. "... The Cardinal football program stands behind him 100 percent."

Gasparro said Okoye, like all U of L football players, was tested for drugs each season. The school keeps those results private.

Okoye played four years for the Cardinals, starting his final two. The 6-foot-2 300-pounder was second on the team last season with 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

He graduated in December with a degree in psychology.