SU wide receiver Marcus Sales facing felony drug charges
UPDATED: July 31, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Marcus Sales, a senior wide receiver at Syracuse University, faces felony drug charges following a Friday night arrest.
Sales and his brother, Michael Sales Jr., were taken into custody after being pulled over for running a red light near Midland Avenue and Ballantyne Road in Syracuse, Syracuse Police Department Sgt. Gary Bulinski said.
According to the police report, the officer at the scene smelled marijuana from Sales’ car and noticed a 12-ounce plastic cup filled with liquid. When the car was searched, drugs and drug paraphernalia were found throughout the vehicle.
Police found 180 Lortab (hydrocodone and acetaminophen) tablets, three knotted pieces of plastic containing a green plant-like substance that tested positive for marijuana, a plastic cup containing gin, three digital scales and other baggies with devil, superman and pit bull insignias on them, according to the report.
Sales and his brother were also in possession of nearly $1,000 in cash.
Sales confirmed that the cup contained gin and admitted to drinking it, according to the report.
The brothers were charged with fifth- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana, according to the police report.
Marcus Sales was also charged with consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, driving through a red light and breaking the city’s open container law, according to the police report. The contraband, drug paraphernalia and each of the brothers’ cell phones were submitted as evidence. The money was seized as proceeds of drug activity, according to the police report.
Both were arraigned Saturday and released from custody afterward.
Syracuse football begins its preseason camp Friday, and the arrest leaves Sales’ status for the start of practice in question. Orange head coach Doug Marrone released a statement regarding Sales through the Syracuse Athletic Department on Sunday.
‘We are aware of the charges against Marcus Sales,’ Marrone said in the statement. ‘We will continue to work with the proper authorities and the University, and will handle the matter internally, according to University and Athletics Department policies.
Sales, a 6-foot, 182-pound senior, was tabbed as a starter on Marrone’s 2011 preseason depth chart after a breakout performance in the Pinstripe Bowl and a strong spring season. Once the second-best prospect in the state of New York coming out of Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, Sales struggled to adjust to college football. In his freshman and sophomore seasons, he caught a combined 42 passes for 484 yards and three touchdowns.
Last season, Sales caught 26 passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns. He caught the game-winning touchdown in the Orange’s upset win over South Florida. And, in SU’s Pinstripe Bowl victory over Kansas State, Sales hauled in five passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns.
Sales, fellow starter Van Chew and Alec Lemon comprise what could be one of the best receiving trios in the Big East heading into the 2011 season.
— Feature Editor Kathleen Kim contributed reporting to this article.
Published on July 30, 2011 at 12:00 pm
