Ryan Malone has no idea where that cocaine came from
Ryan Malone was pulled over on April 11 on suspicion of DUI by a Tampa police officer.
This continued a string of bad luck for the Tampa Bay Lightning forward, who went from being a high-profile acquisition in 2008 to limited ice time in 2013-14 to a healthy scratch and compliance buyout candidate.
And oh, the bad luck continued! Officer Andrew Visser found a bag of cocaine in Malone’s back pocket, and well gee officer he had no idea how it ended up there.
From discovery documents acquired by the Tampa Bay Times, and writer Joe Smith:
Malone, 34, waived his Miranda rights and told Visser he didn't know where the 1.3 grams of cocaine came from, according to discovery documents the Tampa Bay Times received Tuesday through a public records request.
Malone told Visser he didn't believe the officer planted the drugs on him, according to the documents, but he was "baffled" because he was wearing the same jeans for three days.
"I asked where it came from," Visser wrote in his report. "And he said he was just shocked."
In Malone’s defense, when you’ve been wearing the same clothes for three days, you should have a rather intimate knowledge of whether or not there’s a bag of narcotics in your pocket.
Malone is an unrestricted free agent after taking a buyout from the Lightning. His agent, Mike Liut, tells the Times that “a couple of teams have displayed interest in the 10-year veteran.”
Malone, 34, obviously still has some hockey left in him. And there’s no doubt he can help a team handle its lines.
