ROCKY QB JOHNSON KICKED OFF TEAM FOLLOWING WEEKEND ARREST

Rocky Mountain College quarterback Benton Johnson, who was arrested on drug
charges over the weekend, was dismissed from the school's football team
Tuesday afternoon.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy as far as drugs are concerned in our
program here," said Rocky coach Clay Moose.

The 26-year-old Johnson, who started Rocky's first six games last fall, was
charged Monday in Justice Court with felony drug possession. He is
scheduled for arraignment in District Court on Thursday.

"We have concluded our own investigation and the sources we polled have
given us what we deemed convincing evidence of (Johnson) violating a team
rule," said Moose. "So therefore, he is dismissed."

Johnson appeared on three counts of felony criminal possession of dangerous
drugs after his arrest Saturday by Billings police. Johnson also was
charged with three misdemeanors, including marijuana possession, possession
of drug paraphernalia and obstructing a peace officer.

Judge Larry Herman set bond at $5,000 and ordered Johnson to appear in
District Court later this week. He remains in jail because Herman sentenced
him to 30 days in an unrelated misdemeanor case.

Johnson, who was a freshman at Rocky last fall, passed for 1,330 yards and
eight touchdowns for the Bears, who finished 2-8 overall. He is a 1995
graduate of Billings Central, where he was an all-state quarterback.

Rocky has been conducting spring football drills on campus the past three
weeks. Johnson was competing with sophomore Adam Sanchez of Miles City for
the Bears' starting quarterback position in the fall.

"The reaction from the players is one of disappointment," Moose said of
Johnson's arrest.

"We talk to our guys so often about staying away from illegal substances
and situations that you could be implicated in," Moose added.
"Unfortunately, being members of the human race, we're all prone to
mistakes both in judgment and in choice."

Moose, whose team will wrap up spring practices on Saturday, said the
Johnson incident is "a disappointing thing to have to deal with and
unfortunately it sheds a negative light on that person and everything that
they've done.

"But at the same time that's the reality," he said. "When you get mixed up
in either of these things (drugs or alcohol) directly or by association
there's certain negative consequences that come along with it."

Moose planned to discuss that issue with his Rocky players at a meeting
Tuesday afternoon. "The message is, let's make sure that we're avoiding
even the appearance of wrongdoing," he said.

"We've worked very hard over the last couple of years to really build a
positive image of the football program here," said Moose. "Any association
or behavior with any type of illegal action isn't the rule (at Rocky). It's
very much the exception."

According to court records, Johnson was arrested after an officer
approached a car parked at Swords Park after hours Saturday.

The officer said Johnson gave a false name, and was found with a drug pipe.
After his arrest, officers at the county jail searched Johnson and found
cocaine, methamphetamine, illegal mushrooms and marijuana, prosecutors said
in court records. The officers also found nearly $1,500 in cash.

Moose said he learned of Johnson's arrest Monday afternoon.

"This is life and these issues happen every day," he said. "Some of them
you find out about, some of them you don't. Unfortunately, drugs are a real
problem in our country. Bad choices and getting mixed up in the wrong crowd
is a problem facing youth and adults all over the country.

"What we need to do is keep our message consistent that we're opposed to
both things 100 percent."