Baltimore Ravens Draft Bust Matt Elam Just Went Out With A Bang

Matt Elam was steadily going down as one of the most disappointing Baltimore Ravens draft picks in the past decade. Then he decided to shoot for the top spot.

The 25-year old safety was already on thin ice with the team after appearing in just nine games last season. It would now seem that there’s been a disturbing reason why he hasn’t been able to keep his focus on football. Turns out according to Pro Football Talk that he may have led a double life as a drug dealer. At least that’s what it looks like after he was busted by Miami police officers in possession of large amounts of narcotics.

"“According to Miami-Dade police records, Elam was booked at 3:45 a.m. today on charges of possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis, possession of cannabis with the intent to sell or deliver, and possession of a controlled substance.Police say they initially pulled Elam over for reckless driving and found 126 grams of marijuana and three grams of oxycodone in his vehicle.”"

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For those who aren’t really into the hard numbers, just know that 126 grams of marijuana is roughly a quarter pound. In other words that’s a lot. Way more than a common individual needs at any one time in their possession. To say nothing of the much more illegal oxycodone, which is a highly addictive opioid. Put simply Elam is in big trouble and fans can expect the Ravens to act swiftly on this matter. Odds are he’ll be released within the next 24 hours.

Thus ends a sad run for such a promising young man. Elam arrived from Florida in 2013 with a reputation for being a physical presence on the back end who could get even better. The hope was he’d be heir apparent to Ed Reed. He started 15 games as a rookie, made 77 tackles and collected an interception. Unfortunately that was the high point of his career. Elam regressed the next season and eventually lost his starting job to players who were putting in more time and effort.

Indeed the concerns about his lack of urgency were warranted after all, and it appears he lost his way at some point. He likely got involved or was always involved with the wrong crowd dating back to his high school and college days. His inability or unwillingness to leave that part of his life behind has now come back to haunt him.

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