Bulldogs running back arrested on drug charges

ZEPHYRHILLS -- Michael Moody, an all-Sunshine Athletic Conference football selection and 1,000-yard rusher in each of the past two seasons, was arrested recently on the Zephyrhills High campus and charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana.

Moody, a senior tailback, said Thursday that he would be returning to school today, having reduced his suspension in half to five days by starting work in a school-sponsored counseling program.

The 19-year-old was arrested Jan. 24 after a school administrator saw him and two other students returning to campus after leaving without permission. The students told assistant principal Angela Stone they had been smoking marijuana with Moody at his house, according to police reports.

A search of Moody's bookbag revealed a "green leafy substance" in a plastic sandwich bag, determined to be 6.2 grams of marijuana, the report said. When Stone questioned Moody about the substance, he admitted it was his, according to the report.

Asked about the arrest Thursday, Moody said it was "just something that happened." This is his first offense as an adult, though Moody said he had a previous non-drug-related arrest as a minor.

In football, Moody led Zephyrhills to the state playoffs as a senior, rushing for 1,064 yards and seven touchdowns. He was selected to the Times' all-county team and honored by coaches as a first-team all-SAC selection.

"It's about the only thing he had," said football coach Tom Fisher, who had seen Moody overcome injuries and academic problems to stay eligible for four years on the varsity. "He's had a rough time, and he wants to find somebody (in college) who will give him a chance. I know I've seen a lot worse kids playing college ball, that's for sure."

Moody said he had considered running track or competing with the weightlifting team this spring, but his arrest makes that no longer a possibility. The state and county have no specific rules concerning discipline after an arrest, but the Zephyrhills athletic department has more strict regulations, detailed in a handbook sent to athletes' parents each year.

"The manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession or use of controlled substances" results in an 18-week suspension from athletic competition, meaning Moody's playing days at Zephyrhills are over.

Moody isn't the first in his family to be arrested on drug charges.

His father, Larry Moody Sr., was released from prison in July 1996 after serving two years for selling and possessing crack cocaine. His brother, Larry Moody Jr., was convicted in March 1997 of the same crime.

Michael Moody was shot in the leg as an eighth-grader when three men broke into his parents' mobile home. Police said they were seeking cash and drugs, and the ensuing altercation left one of the intruders dead and another convicted of first-degree murder.

"He's a product of his environment, but he also didn't make a very smart move here," Fisher said. "Some kids have to learn things the hard way."

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