Holdout Banks Arrested in Atlanta for Possessing Cocaine, Marijuana

Chip Banks, a holdout free-agent linebacker with the Chargers, was arrested Friday night on suspicion of cocaine and marijuana possession, police said.

Atlanta Police spokesman Sgt. G.E. Smith said Banks, a 6-year NFL veteran, was arrested at 9:30 p.m. (EDT) at a routine police roadblock when a search of his gold Mercedes convertible turned up about half an ounce of marijuana and four packets of crack cocaine.

Smith said officers noticed an odor they believed to be marijuana when Banks pulled up to the roadblock. He also had no license, Smith said.

“It was at a routine roadblock, which we do randomly around the city,” Smith said.

Banks’ Los Angeles-based agent, Harold Daniels, said Banks was released at about 1:20 a.m. today (EDT) after posting $3,600 bond in the Atlanta jail. A court date was scheduled for Nov. 2.

Daniels, who coincidentally was in Atlanta for a scheduled meeting with Banks today, said Banks denied there was cocaine in the car and said that the marijuana was being used by another occupant.

Daniels had arrived in Atlanta Friday and was planning to meet with Banks sometime this morning in an attempt to talk him into reporting to the Chargers.

“I told him I’m coming to Atlanta, and I’m going to try to get him to come back to Los Angeles with me,” Daniels said Friday night by telephone from Atlanta.

But those plans took a turn late Friday.

“I was in the Atlanta Marriott waiting to meet with him (Saturday) when a friend called and told me to look at the news,” Daniels said. “I turned on ESPN, and they were reporting that Chip had been arrested for cocaine.”

Daniels said he and Banks still planned to meet this morning. Daniels also said he told Chet Franklin, Charger director of player personnel, of his plans to meet with Banks.

“He (Franklin) told me where the Chargers would be in Miami and to call him if I had any luck with Chip,” Daniels said.

Rick Smith, the Chargers’ director of public relations, said from Miami Friday night that team officials would not comment until they had more details.

“He hasn’t been with us since the end of last season,” Smith said. “It’s hard for us to react, because we don’t have all of the details yet.”

Banks, 29, was a four-time All-Pro linebacker with the Cleveland Browns but was traded before the 1987 season to the Chargers.

After a season in which he finished second on the Chargers with 71 tackles and was named a Pro Bowl alternate, Banks refused to report to the 1988 training camp. The Chargers and Banks were reportedly close to an agreement on a 5-year, $4.8 million contract the week camp opened (July 22), but Banks reportedly said he would not join the team until he received a $300,000 bonus.

On Aug. 8, Charger owner Alex Spanos issued an ultimatum: report by Aug. 11, or the Chargers would withdraw their contract offer. Banks stayed out, and Spanos subsequently withdrew the offer. Banks has remained a holdout.

Banks played at Southern California in college and attended Laney High School in Augusta, Ga., where he lives in the offseason.

Scott Miller contributed to this report.