There was a time Justin Blackmon couldn’t walk across a football field without drawing national attention. Two-time All-American. Biletnikoff Award winner. Top-5 NFL Draft pick. In college football circles, his name still carries weight. But over the weekend, headlines shifted from highlight reels to handcuffs. What began as confusion over a mugshot quickly became confirmation: one of college football’s brightest stars was back in the news—and not for the reasons anyone had hoped.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon was arrested in Oklahoma over the weekend for public intoxication, according to multiple reports. Authorities confirmed that the arrest was alcohol-related and occurred in a public setting. He was identified as Justin Carl Blackmon, 34.

Blackmon was selected fifth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Jaguars after a dominant college run that included back-to-back Biletnikoff Awards in 2010 and 2011. He earned All-Rookie honors in his debut NFL season, recording 865 yards and five touchdowns. However, repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy led to an indefinite suspension in 2013, ending his professional career after just two seasons.

The news comes just four months after Blackmon was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his standout career at Oklahoma State. Reflecting on that honor in December, Blackmon had said, “It means a lot. We just had a good group, good teammates. It was just a lot of fun going out there, just doing what we do.” Remembering that day through the window of this weekend in Oklahoma reminds us of what David Caldwell, former GM of the Jaguars, said about the player’s journey off the field. 

The former Jaguars GM said to ESPN in 2015, “I have not heard anything, and I guess I harbor a little bit of hope. But realistically, I think when you are away from the game, for two and a half years, what you were once is not what you probably will be.” This perfectly describes how a football phenomenon turned into a mess.

The legal troubles of the college football HoF wide receiver

Actually, this was not Blackmon’s first encounter with law enforcement. He has faced multiple arrests in the past. During his football days with the Jaguars, he was arrested on DUI charges in 2012. Then again, after his last year in the big leagues, Justin Blackmon was arrested in 2014 for the same charges. The former unanimous All-American had also come under the spotlight for getting into trouble over marijuana possession.

Unfortunately, these incidents ultimately led to an indefinite suspension by the NFL, and he has not played in the league since 2013. Following his departure from professional football, Blackmon has largely stayed out of the public spotlight, with occasional reports of legal trouble surfacing over the past decade. His most recent arrest marks the latest in a series of off-field incidents that have overshadowed what was once considered a high-potential NFL career.