ATLANTA (Dec. 21) – Georgia Tech sophomore wide receiver Kelly Campbell, who was arrested last week on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession, has been cleared by Tech head coach George O’Leary to play in this year’s Toyota Gator Bowl game with Miami, O’Leary announced Tuesday.
O’Leary said that Campbell had successfully met the criteria he had set to remain eligible to play in the bowl game and remain with the Tech football team.
“In instances of this kind, we have a certain procedure which we follow,” said O’Leary on Tuesday . “The procedure is a very thorough one. Kelly Campbell has successfully completed this to my satisfaction and he will remain with the team and will compete in the Toyota Gator Bowl game.
“I might add that Kelly has steadfastly maintained his innocence in this incident from the beginning. Any further action by me will be dependent on the resolution of his court hearing on the legal charges.”
Campbell, from Atlanta, was in a car that was stopped on December 17 by Cobb County police officers. In a subsequent search of the car, a small amount of marijuana was found. Campbell, a passenger in the car with two other Georgia Tech students, denied knowledge of the illegal substance, but was arrested due to a Georgia statute that allows for charging all passengers with possession if an illegal substance is found in the car.
Tech, which will face Miami in this year’s Toyota Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, continues its bowl practices Tuesday and Wednesday and then breaks for the Christmas holidays. The Yellow Jackets will reconvene in Jacksonville for pre-bowl workouts on Dec. 26.
