“We will be playing without Stephen Roberts,” coach Gus Malzahn announced Tuesday at his weekly news conference (via AL.com). “Stephen’s going to be suspended for this game. … It’s going to be week to week. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see how he responds.”
Roberts has played in 25 games over two seasons and became a starter at safety late last season.
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He was “a passenger in a vehicle and fled from officers during a traffic stop,” Auburn Police Capt. Lorenza Dorsey told AL.com, adding that the firearm in Roberts’ possession was a handgun and he also was charged with misdemeanor eluding an officer.
Under Alabama law, both charges carry a penalty of no more than one year in jail and up to a $6,000 fine. Roberts is due in court Nov. 17.
“Minor setback for a major comeback,” Roberts tweeted Saturday afternoon.
Malzahn said Auburn’s team policy is for players not to have handguns, licensed or not.
“We don’t want them,” Malzahn said. “We don’t want our players with them.”
