Johns hiding his alleged activities from teammates... and other stuff.

Ian Rapoport By Ian Rapoport
on June 24, 2008 at 10:49 PM, updated June 24, 2008 at 11:41 PM

It's about 15 hours since Alabama linebacker Jimmy Johns was arrested and charged with five counts of dealing cocaine and one count of possession of a controlled substance. It's a complicated case, one that led Johns to be suspended from school and then tossed from his team by coach Nick Saban.

A lot of alleged hiding and seeking...
So while Johns (as of 11 p.m.) still sits in Tuscaloosa County Jail, I've been thinking about some loose ends and going over some things.

First, I haven't been able to speak with anyone who can tell me Jimmy's side of the story. So what I will say is based on the view of the police and the West Alabama Narcotics Squad.

Understanding that, what's interesting is the apparent lengths Johns went to hide his alleged off-the-field activities from teammates. With a clientele that officers said was largely made up of Alabama students, Johns was said to be open with those who bought from him but closed to his teammates.

"During the course of this investigation, it was obvious from things that he said, that he did not want other people on the team to be aware he was doing this," said Jeff Snyder, the commander of the task force that arrested Johns.

"I don't think it was common knowledge," Snyder continued, "I don't think that anybody knew he was doing it. If they had suspicions, they did. But I think he went to some lengths to make sure, if he could, that other people on the team and the university, the administration, didn't know what he was doing."

Snyder added that he couldn't elaborate on how he knew that because of "some things will be brought up later" in the investigation. So that was noteworthy. And I was told by two people today that Saban did not know what Johns was allegedly doing until the arrest. Members of the student body may have, but Saban did not.

Johns also lived by himself, making the apparent hiding easier.

I asked Snyder what Johns was like when he was arrested at a gas station coming back from a conditioning workout. I also asked him if he mentioned Alabama football at all.

"No, he didn't mention anything (about UA football)," Snyder said. "We just told him he screwed up. He didn't say much of anything. He was scared. He was very polite the whole time."

Also, during the course of the day, I learned about possible sentences that Johns might face -- if he were found guilty. This lays out the sentences, but excuse the ironic source. I used it because it has a really good table...

If Johns is found guilty of all five counts of dealing coke, he could face two to 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine for each of the five counts. I'm told it's rare for the sentences to be assigned consecutively, so he likely won't face 10 to 100 years, but really two to 20. Also, on the charge of possession of ecstasy and coke in his residence, he could serve one to 10 years in jail and a $15,000 fine.

That's not all. Two of the sales allegedly occurred on campus. Others may have taken place within three miles of a school. That means he also could face an "enhancement" -- five extra years -- because the sales occurred on or within three miles of a college campus.

Here's one more thing: It's amazing that with all the talk from fans about Johns, and all the questions myself and other reporters have asked about how he's doing, about his switch to fullback, about his switch to linebacker, about his punishments, about everything having to do with Jimmy Johns, that it ended like this...

With him in jail.

It's been a surreal day...