The quarterback of the Florida State Seminoles was slinging more than footballs from his apartment, a tipster told Tallahassee police, prompting a two-month drug probe.
Deondre Francois, a redshirt junior quarterback from Orlando, was cited for possession of marijuana last week. An anonymous male tipster alleged Francois was selling marijuana from a large paper bag stuffed with pot spotted inside his apartment in February, according to a search warrant obtained Tuesday by the Orlando Sentinel.
But officers found just 17 grams of marijuana and related paraphernalia during the execution of a search warrant at Francois’ apartment on Thursday. Francois, who was not arrested, will instead be required to complete community service as part of a pre-trial diversion program. He also will have to avoid any criminal activity for up to a year and pay a $100 fine, the Sentinel reports.
The unfounded tip, however, led police to collect and search Francois’ garbage four separate times, between late February and April 3, during which officers found plastic bags with marijuana residue and remnants of blunt-type cigars, according to the search warrant.
Francois told officers that the marijuana found at his apartment Thursday belonged to his girlfriend, Diamond Lindsey, and claimed that the last time he smoked marijuana was in December, saying he “can’t smoke right now,” the warrant shows.
Other items found during Thursday’s search and in Francois’ garbage included a Bob Marley grinder, an instant drug test cup, vials of pain medication and a Florida State University ID card for running back Zaquandre White.
Francois did not play in FSU’s spring game last week, but was on the sidelines, the Sentinel reports. First-year coach Willie Taggart told the newspaper that he discussed the incident with Francois, who continues to rehab a torn patellar tendon in his left knee from last season.
“He’s still with our football team,” Taggart said after Saturday’s spring game. “ … We talked about his responsibility as a student-athlete here, and he understands my expectations and what I’m looking for, especially when it comes to our quarterback.”
It’s the latest off-the-field issue for Francois, who was investigated in January for a domestic violence incident involving Lindsey, who was pregnant at the time. She told police that Francois was angry that another man tried to talk to her, prompting him to break a door, throw her to the floor and cut her forearm “while trying to drag her out of the house,” according to a police report obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. Francois was not charged.
