THE SIDELINES : Ex-USC Star Chip Banks Arrested

Former USC and All-Pro linebacker Chip Banks has been arrested and charged with possession of crack cocaine and marijuana.

Banks, 28, of Atlanta, was arrested Tuesday at a housing project known for drug transactions, police Sgt. P. L. Mitchell said. Banks dropped a brown bag containing one dose of crack and a bag of marijuana on the ground when police approached, officers said. He is serving a five-year probation for a March conviction of cocaine and marijuana possession, stemming from an October arrest.

Banks, a top college player at USC, was the third player selected in the 1982 NFL draft. He played five years with the Cleveland Browns and was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1987. He refused to sign a contract with the Chargers last season and sat out the year. He did not play because of a drug problem, Banks’ agent, Harold Daniels, said after the March conviction.