Kentucky dismisses Hatcher after arrest on marijuana charge

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) Kentucky dismissed senior defensive end/linebacker Jason Hatcher from the team following his arrest early Monday for marijuana possession

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) Kentucky dismissed senior defensive end/linebacker Jason Hatcher from the team following his arrest early Monday for marijuana possession and speeding in Franklin County.

A sheriff's deputy clocked Hatcher's Chevrolet going 81 mph in a 70 mph zone on eastbound Interstate 64 and pulled him over at 12:55 a.m. Monday just west of Frankfort, the arrest report states. The report added that the deputy noticed a strong odor of marijuana and that Hatcher tried to conceal some of the drug in his pants. A search found a ''large quantity'' of marijuana in Hatcher's car.

Hatcher was booked and later released from the Franklin County Regional Jail for trafficking in less than five pounds of marijuana, tampering with evidence and speeding. Coach Mark Stoops dismissed the Wildcats' seventh-leading tackler (39) late Monday morning.

Hatcher was expected to be a key part of Kentucky's defense after playing nine games last season with five starts. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound Louisville native made 17 solo stops with 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks for the Wildcats (5-7) and leaves the program with 86 career tackles.

Hatcher's contributions last fall came after he was suspended for Kentucky's first two games for an unspecified violation of team rules. He was part of Stoops' first recruiting class.