Shane Ray apologetic after drug bust days before NFL Draft

Prospect Shane Ray has apologised after being cited for possession of marijuana just days before the NFL Draft in Chicago.

The Missouri defensive end is a projected top-10 pick in Thursday's draft and admitted there was no excuse for the legal situation he had got himself involved in.

Ray was issued a misdemeanour citation after a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper found a small amount of the drug in his car - he had been pulled over on Interstate 70 for speeding.

Corporal Scott White said Ray, a 6ft 3in 245-pound defender, was co-operative and showed no signs of impairment - he was released with a summons to appear in Cooper County court in June.

Ray, who was the SEC's defensive player of the year, said in a statement: "I’d like to apologize to my mother, fans and prospective NFL teams for my poor judgement Monday morning .

"I am embarrassed and realise there are consequences for my actions. I was not under the influence nor impaired , therefore I was not detained. Fortunately, Mondays incident only resulted in a citation.

"I will make better choices in the future. It is imperative that I continue to strive to better myself.

"My future NFL career has been something I have always dreamed about and is very important to me. I commit that my actions will represent that.

"There are no excuses here and I will take the necessary steps to ensure this will not happen again. I will not jeopardise my ability to have a positive impact on and off the field moving forward.”

Ray was tabbed to go with the eighth pick to the Atlanta Falcons in Neil Reynolds' recent mock draft.