Cocaine charges against Georgia Southern quarterback Shai Werts have been dropped after prosecutors did not find that the evidence submitted for the charges tests positive for cocaine.
The redshirt junior was arrested July 31 in Saluda County, South Carolina on a misdemeanor speeding charge and a possession charge. The police report says that officers found a white substance on Werts’ car which tested positive for cocaine twice in field tests. In the video of the arrest, Werts answers “I promise you that is bird doo-doo,” when one of the officers asks what the substance on his car is.
Werts’ interaction with offers began when he failed to pull over immediately after the officers turned on their sirens, he explained once in the back of the police car that he did not feel safe pulling over on a secluded road.
“I’m not going to pull over in the dark where no one around can see,” Werts said to police on the dash-cam video. “You know what’s been going on in the world. No offense to you, but I just didn’t feel comfortable, officer.”
Georgia Southern suspended Werts following his arrest, causing him to miss the first two days of practice. Werts took a drug test and submitted a sample of the white substance on his car to an independent lab through the school on Friday, Aug. 2. The Eagles allowed Werts to begin practicing with the team again on Sunday, Aug. 5 after all lab results tested negative for cocaine or any other illegal substance.
The 5’11” QB threw for 987 yards and ran for 908 while combining for 25 touchdowns in Georgia Southern’s 10-3 season last year. The Eagles open their season versus LSU in Baton Rouge.
