Blue Bomber Hefney will play despite U.S. drug charge

Winnipeg Blue Bomber Jonathan Hefney will play in a pre-season game at the new Investors Group Field Wednesday, despite a recent brush with the law.

Hefney is facing a charge of possessing marijuana after he was allegedly found with the drug in his truck on May 31 in his hometown of Rock Hill, S.C.

Mark Bollinger of the Rock Hill South Carolina police department said he was stunned to learn of the charges.

"Reading the report, I went, 'Wow.' You know, I was a bit shocked. I remember watching Jonathan play when he played in Rock Hill High School," he said.

"He was a star, outstanding player. He went on to play at the University of Tennessee."

Winnipeg Blue Bombers general manager Joe Mack said he's disappointed Hefney didn't tell the team he had been charged. Mack said he and the team will allow the legal process to play out rather than make accusations.

"I want to be clear: he's definitively proclaiming his innocence, and so we're going to take him at his word for that and see how it progresses," Mack said.

Hefney will play in tomorrow's first pre-season game against the Toronto Argonauts at the new Investors Group Field.

Hefley is scheduled to appear in municipal court in South Carolina, on June 19.