Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson is expected back in class for the start of the semester this month after being suspended much of the summer for reportedly failing a drug test.
Rebels’ coach Andy Kennedy told ESPN he anticipates his high-scoring, oft-controversial guard will be back in Oxford before the end of August. Kennedy added Henderson hasn’t been officially reinstated to the program and still has much work to do in regaining the trust and confidence of his coaches.
Henderson was suspended after Oxford police allegedly found small traces of both cocaine and marijuana in his vehicle during a May 4 traffic stop where he was pulled over for speeding. A subsequent investigation found that he had at least two previous run-ins with local police prior to the latest stop.
In the official police report stemming from the May stop, reports indicate officer Shane Fortner smelled marijuana emanating from Henderson’s vehicle and he claimed those drugs were the only ones he had in the vehicle. After a K-9 unit and drug-sniffing dogs were escorted to the scene, police found the cocaine.
Prior to that, Henderson was stopped on April 27 for playing loud music and not wearing a seat belt. According to newspaper reports, in that incident officer Jacob Abel had to threaten to take Henderson to jail after he turned his music up just as loud as he pulled away after receiving citations for noise violations and failure to have proof of liability insurance.
On April 4, just two days before the Final Four was played in Atlanta, officer Cody Pruitt engaged Henderson after receiving a noise complaint at an apartment where he answered the front door.
Despite the numerous incidents, Oxford police chief Joey East told reporters officers never took him into custody because he was always “very cooperative.” Police also noted the amount of cocaine retrieved from him was less than one-tenth gram and legally not enough to prosecute.
Henderson led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, averaging 20.1 points a game as he helped the Rebels win the SEC tournament and reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in more than a decade.
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