Patriots' Patrick Chung Indicted On Cocaine Charge: May Miss Start Of NFL Regular Season

A grand jury has indicted Patrick Chung for possession of a controlled drug when police found cocaine at his property on June 25. The New England Patriots strong safety is facing a felony charge after illegal substances were allegedly discovered by authorities in his Meredith, N.H home.

The 32-year-old football player's arraignment is scheduled on Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. The Patriots stated that they are aware of Chung's situation and opted that they would not be commenting while "judicial proceedings take place."

In a statement given by Andrew B. Livernois, a Belknap County Attorney assigned on the case, Meridith police responded to Chung's residence on June 25 "on a call for service."

On the course of the search, vital evidence was obtained, which led to the current charges that Chung is facing. At that time, the NFL strong safety was not arrested pending on the authorities' investigation.

The county attorney's office made the call on indicting Chung. Livernois said that the office found that there was probable cause to believe that he committed a crime.

On Thursday, Kieth Cormier, a prosecutor with the county attorney's office, said that the incident report regarding Patrick's charges is not yet released at the time being.

Cormier added that his case "is an active investigation." Chung acquired the multimillion 1.25-acre property last year for $1.1 million according to records of the property.

Drafted by the Patriots as in 2009, Chung has expanded his game, becoming one of the organization's most versatile players on defense. He started 78 of 80 games over the last five seasons, including in all four of New England's recent Super Bowl appearances.

In April, the Patriot's restructured Chung's contract to give him a raise from $2.4 million to $6 million for the upcoming NFL season. His contract expires in 2021. The troubled Jamaican native was not on the sidelines on Thursday night's pre-season game against the Panthers at the Gillette Stadium.

So far, Chung has not played in any preseason games this month, pending his return from an offseason shoulder surgery. Today's legal ramifications could also mean that he's questionable for the rest of the NFL season.

He was expected to play for New England's regular-season opener against the Steelers on September 8. Patriot's coach Bill Belichick said that "Pat hasn't played all season." When asked about his player's indictment, he said that "I think we've released a statement on that."

Chung's agent also refrained from commenting on the situation.

The NFL has had problems drug-related allegations in the past and the Patriots are no stranger to this occurrence. In 2018, Duron Harmon was detained by local authorities in Costa Rica when he tried to smuggle marijuana in the Central American country. The NFL did not discipline him.

In 2016, Chandler Jones had an adverse reaction to synthetic pot. Recently, wide receiver Josh Gordon was conditionally reinstated by Goodell last week after being suspended for the league's substance abuse policies.