Minnesota Vikings’ running back Roc Thomas was in a Dakota County courtroom on Wednesday, where he pled guilty to felony marijuana possession, but the conviction won’t go on his record if he meets all the conditions of his upcoming probation.
Thomas was arrested back on 16 January after police officers searched his apartment in Mendota Heights, finding marijuana and marijuana wax. Thomas was found to be in possession of 143 grams of marijuana, and in the state of Minnesota possession of any quantity more than 42.5 grams is considered a felony.
According to Nick Ferraro of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Thomas received a stay of adjudication, which is mandatory for first-time, low-level drug offenders in the state of Minnesota. That means that, if Thomas meets all of the terms of his probation, the charge will never appear on his record.
Thomas’ probationary period will be three years, and the conditions of his probation include a chemical dependency evaluation and possible treatment; no alcohol or drug use; and random testing, in addition to the testing he already goes through as a National Football League player.
What happened today is separate from any sort of discipline Thomas might face from the league. If the NFL handles this the way they usually do, we won’t hear anything about what sort of punishment Thomas might face until around the start of Training Camp, or perhaps even after we get into the preseason.