THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TALLAHASSEE - Florida State star receiver Preston Parker will be disciplined according to the school's code of conduct following his arrest on drug and weapons charges, the university said Tuesday.
School officials said they would wait to hear the details of Parker's arrest before deciding his punishment. It could result in the Seminoles being short another player for their first three games. They will already be without six starters sitting out suspensions from a classroom cheating scandal last year.
Parker, 21, was arrested shortly before midnight Monday for carrying a loaded semiautomatic .45-caliber pistol wedged into the dash of the car next to a bag of marijuana. Police also found a container stuffed with marijuana, according to the arrest report.
Parker told police he didn't know anything about the marijuana.
The gun charge is a felony, Palm Beach Gardens Police spokeswoman Ellen Lovejoy said. Parker admitted the gun was his, purchased for him by a friend before his 21st birthday earlier this year.
Parker was released Tuesday from the Palm Beach County Jail, Lovejoy said.
It was unclear if Parker had a lawyer. Florida State sports publicist Elliott Finebloom said Parker did not return text messages left for him Tuesday. There were no phone listings for a Preston Parker in Delray Beach.
FSU's discipline policy calls for suspension of any athlete facing criminal charges by a law enforcement agency and prohibits any student-athlete charged with a felony, absent from extraordinary circumstances, from competing until the charge is resolved.
"Once we've thoroughly reviewed the details of the incident, we will handle the situation according to that policy," said Randy Spetman, who was named athletic director earlier this year.
Florida State kicked Randy Moss out of school in 1996 after he tested positive for marijuana while serving a 30-day sentence in a West Virginia jail on a battery charge.
Parker was also apprehended by Tallahassee police in 2006 for swiping a $10 DVD movie at a Best Buy store.
Parker, who is from Delray Beach, was named FSU's offensive Most Valuable Player last season after leading the team with 1,513 all-purpose yards and 62 receptions.
