Friend of Tennessee Titans Chris Simms testified that he had been smoking marijuana on night of Simms’ arrest
During the court hearing for Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Chris Simms in regards to being charged and arrested for drugged driving, his friend Charles Granatell testified and said that he was the one smoking marijuana and not the quarterback.
Granatell himself had been a quarterback at Bryant University and said that he smoked marijuana, causing the odour that prompted a police officer in Manhattan, New York to arrest Simms during a sobriety checkpoint stop on 1 July, 2010.
Granatell testified in court and told the jury that Simms was not happy that he had smoked pot inside of Simms’ Mercedes-Benz SUV after Simms, his wife Danielle, Granatell and another friend had dinner and stopped at friend Noel Ashman’s birthday party while
they were on their way to a cafe for dessert. Only Simms made an appearance at the party while his wife and two male friends waited inside of the vehicle, which is when Granatell smoked marijuana. He said that he hadn’t seen Simms use the drug in the 12 years
that they have known each other.
Simms is the son of Phil Simms, former quarterback for the New York Giants, and he testified not guilty to charges of driving while high.
A police officer said at the court hearing that Simms made a “wild” turn just before stopping at the checkpoint in lower Manhattan at about 1:00 AM local time on the date of the arrest. When Simms topped his vehicle and was being questioned by police, his
vehicle reeked of marijuana while Simms was acting like a “zombie,” slurring his words and walking unsteadily.
The police officer, Francisco Acosta, said that when asked if there was any marijuana left, Simms said that there wasn’t because “he smoked it all in the car.”
When police administered an alcohol breathalyzer test to Simms, it came back negative and the quarterback denied giving a urine sample to test for drugs. Afterwards when Simms was taken to the police station, the officer said that he promptly passed out
on the floor. He also said that Danielle told Simms not to give any tests.
Ashman said that Simms did not smoke at the party and that “he was very, very lucid. We had a long conversation, actually.” Ashman owned several New York hotspots and is currently a party promoter.
Prosecutor Alexandra Grazer asked Granatell why he didn’t tell police that he had been the one smoking marijuana which led to Simms’ arrest, to which he replied “I didn’t get the chance to. … (Simms’ arrest) happened so fast. Go back and change it — I
would if I could.”
Granatell is a marketing manager for a company that manufactures ingredients for cosmetics and did not comment after his testimony.
If convicted, Simms could be looking at one year in prison, a $500 fine and/or five days of community service.