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Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff Writer
METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham will not face charges for his August arrest in California according to a spokesperson for the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Graham was taken into custody in Newport Beach, California, on the night of Aug. 19 on suspicion of being under the influence of narcotics and obstructing a police officer, according to police. A spokesperson for the DA’s office said the case was rejected to due insufficient evidence to prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Thanks for [the] LAPD and just how quickly kind of everything went down and kind of how helpful they were through the process,” Graham said at the Saints facility on Thursday. “Right now, we’re just dealing with that all personally.”
The Saints were in Costa Mesa, California at the time of the incident for joint practices and a preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Graham did not play in that game but returned to practice the next week. He also participated in the team’s final preseason game against the Houston Texans, scoring his first touchdown in a Saints uniform since the 2014 season.
The Saints released a statement following the incident that said Graham had a medical episode that resulted in him becoming disoriented.
“He was taken into custody by local authorities and transported to a local hospital for evaluation for what Dr. John Amoss believes to be a likely seizure and spent the night under medical supervision and testing,” the statement read.
Graham declined to provide any details beyond the team’s statement.
“Yeah, it’s kind of a personal health thing and I’m just going to keep it to myself. I’ll be fine,” he said, “I’m just looking forward to putting it behind me.”
Graham said the team was supportive throughout the entire ordeal.
“I mean, I’m feeling great, just looking forward and excited to put it behind me,” he said. “I’ll be fine in the long run. Just want to thank the organization and everybody that was with me through those couple of days, my teammates and my close family. I just appreciate everybody.”
Graham was not a given to make the team’s final 53-man roster after sitting out the 2022 season, leading to an emotional game back for him after returning to the team.
“I think being away from the game since 2021 put a lot of perspective into it,” he said. “I’m grateful for any and every opportunity I’ve gotten so far and I’m looking to capitalize on any opportunity in the future. How incredible it is to be back with this organization, in this locker room, with this amount of talent on this team. Not only this team but in my room. It’s a special time to be a New Orleans Saint and I’m very proud to be able to wear that jersey again.”