IRVING, Texas – Cowboys running back Joseph Randle was cited for misdemeanor drug possesion in Wichita, Kan., on Tuesday morning, according to multiple reports.
Those reports indicate that the incident occured when police were called to a hotel early Tuesday morning on a domestic violence call. Randle, a Wichita native, was arguing with a 22-year-old woman in a hotel room, where police discovered marijuana.
The woman told police she and Randle have a child together, and she was at the hotel so Randle could see the child.
Initial reports indicate that the two-year veteran was arrested. But Randle's agent, Erik Burkhardt, said on Twitter on Wednesday that Randle was issued a ticket by police but not arrested
The Cowboys presently have no comment on the issue.
This is the second run-in with the law in the past year for Randle, who the Cowboys drafted in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He was arrested for shoplifting at Stonebriar Centre Mall in Frisco, Texas, this past October. He was charged with a misdemeanor in that instance, as well, as he was caught stealing roughly $120 of cologne and underwear.
He was fined heavily by the team for that infraction, though he was not suspended.
The news is bound to complicate what was already an uncertain future for the Cowboys at their running back position. All-Pro running back DeMarco Murray is about to become a free agent after rushing for 1,845 yards in 2014. Randle was his primary backup and the team's change-of-pace back, as he carried 51 times for 343 yards and three highlight reel touchdowns.
There has been plenty of speculation that if the Cowboys opt not to re-sign Murray, Randle could be one of the primary contributors – if not the outright starter – in replacing his production. Randle and Ryan Williams, who spent the 2014 season on the practice squad, are presently the team's only running backs under contract. Murray is set to become an unrestricted free agent, while Lance Dunbar is a restricted free agent.
