Tony Mitchell Says He Feared Alabama CFB Career Was over After Arrest on Drug Charge | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

In March, incoming Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell was arrested on a drug-related charge. He recently acknowledged that his college football career could have ended before it even started.

According to ESPN, Mitchell said in a video posted to social media that he feared "something much bigger could have happened" following his arrest.

"I didn't know if I'd be able to play football again, but I continued to work out and stay close with the Lord and those who love me unconditionally," Mitchell said. "During those times, it helped me to keep my mind off it. But when I was by myself looking at social media, what everybody had to say about it, it just felt like it happened again. I didn't sleep at night."

Mitchell was suspended from the Alabama football team after his arrest, but his father posted on Facebook last week that his son had been reinstated. ESPN noted that an Alabama spokesperson declined to comment on Mitchell's status with the team.

Mitchell was arrested following a traffic stop in Florida and charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and/or deliver. After Mitchell pleaded guilty to possession of over 20 grams of cannabis, a judge in Holmes County, Florida, sentenced him in May to three years of probation with a fine and community service.

"I was doing things I knew I shouldn't to try to fit in," Mitchell said, "but not everybody's your friend."

Mitchell was a 4-star prospect out of Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama. He was ranked as the No. 9 safety in the nation by 247Sports' composite.