Cris Carter, Citing No Sources, Accuses Chandler Jones Of Smoking Marijuana Laced With PCP

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- ESPN's Cris Carter has heard the report about Chandler Jones taking synthetic marijuana. But Cris Carter isn't buying it.

""I don't know this. Um ... umm ... I think that the synthetic marijuana story might be just a story," Carter said Friday morning on "Mike & Mike" on ESPN radio. "Just for me, it don't pass the smell test for me."

So, Cris Carter, investigative reporter former football player, tell us the scoop, would you?

"To me, I think that ... [long pause] ... I think he was smoking marijuana, and I think he was smoking some marijuana laced with PCP, or angel dust," Carter said. "And I think that's what made him trip out."

Ace reporter Cris Carter concluded thusly: "Now he could have been smoking synthetic, but it's a better story. It's a better story to tell. 'That's the reason why I'm here.' Why was he smelling like marijuana? Because synthetic doesn't smell like marijuana. So for me, I don't know all the details of the case, but I'm just a little, uh! The synthetic? That's a better way to put it."

Carter then took his "analysis" a step further, mentioning the name of convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez as someone who smoked marijuana with PCP.

"If you look at some of the information -- and this is not the same thing, so don't freak out on me, people -- but Aaron Hernandez, if you look at what was some of the things they started looking at at him at the end, he was smoking marijuana laced with PCP," Carter said, for some reason. "And that's when the people around him said you could start to see it making a difference in his decision-making. So did [Jones] have that? No. I'm just trying to tell you what I believe could be the end result. Because that's what happens. You know?"

No. I really don't.

It got humorous, next, because Carter refused to go so far as to speculate on whether or not Jones would be disciplined by the Patriots in terms of playing time. Speculating about that? Reckless! Speculating about very specific illegal drug use? Let's do it!

"Based on the police report, you know, so I'ma wait to see as far as he plays, and everything, I'm not going to get into that," Carter said diplomatically. "That to me is someone else's decision."

You'll note that somewhere in there Carter also added that he doesn't know all the details. At least he didn't let that stop him from broadcasting that type of speculation over the radio and television airwaves.

It must be noted that Carter stopped short of saying that Jones erred in not finding himself a "fall guy."

On Thursday, Jones spoke to reporters and admitted he made "a pretty stupid mistake" over the weekend, and technically, the Boston Globe report on synthetic marijuana is just that -- a report. Given the sketchy behavior of the Foxboro police chief when questioned by the Boston Herald, and given the murky circumstances out of which the story emerged, Jones could have taken any number of substances that led to his hospitalization on Sunday morning. But unless you're a reporter who's obtained information from multiple sources, it's probably best to keep that speculation off the airwaves.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

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