Packers' Aaron Jones reportedly arrested in October on marijuana-related charges

Jones was arrested seven days before a breakout performance against the Cowboys

Days prior to making his first NFL start, Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones was arrested. According to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jones was arrested on Oct. 1 and faces several charges after admitting during a traffic stop to smoking marijuana prior to operating the vehicle.

Jones was pulled over for speeding on Highway 172 in Ashwaubenon at 11:37 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1, according to an incident report obtained by the Journal Sentinel. State trooper Dillon Larson clocked Jones' vehicle traveling 79 miles per hour in a 55 mile-per-hour zone.

The report states Larson smelled marijuana emanating from the vehicle and observed Jones' eyes to be red and bloodshot. Jones told Larson he had woken up three hours earlier and smoked marijuana after eating breakfast. A search of the vehicle did not produce any narcotics or paraphernalia. 

A second trooper arrived on the scene, and Jones was asked to participate in a standardized field sobriety test along the side of the highway. The report states Jones was assessed one "clue" for using his arms to balance during a walking test but had no issue standing on one leg or tracking an object with his eyes. 

A week after the Oct. 1 arrest, Jones ran for 125 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries against the Cowboys, and subsequently took over the starting role in the backfield until being felled by a recent injury. 

The Packers did not issue a comment on the arrest to the Journal Sentinel, but coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Monday, "I spoke to Aaron after the incident. It's been a while. He made a mistake, and I know it's a pending legal situation," per ESPN.com. 

Jones pleaded not guilty to counts of speeding, driving without a valid license, and operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in his system, according to the Journal Sentinel's review of Wisconsin court records. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 1, 2018. This is not the first time he has been arrested in connection with substance-related issues. In college, he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He was ultimately sent into a pretrial diversion program that results in charges being dropped upon completion of the program.