Teammates expect Babineaux to play on Sunday

Babineaux, 28, was arrested on a marijuana possession charge and released from the Gwinnett County jail shortly after 5 a.m. Friday after paying a $8,300 bond, according to jail records.

Gwinnett police stopped Babineaux and another man, 25-year-old Aaron Robinson of Minneapolis, about 10:45 p.m. Thursday as they drove north on I-85 in Babineaux's 2005 Cadillac Escalade EXT.

Gwinnett police Cpl. David Schiralli said an officer searched the SUV because he smelled marijuana. The officer found three bags containing a total of 40 grams of marijuana, Schiralli said.

In addition to the possession charges, Babineaux is charged with having no tag light and driving without a license and with an expired tag. He also was charged with tinting his car windows too much.

Babineaux practiced with the team Friday but did not speak to the media after practice.

Smith would not say whether Babineaux was facing any team discipline or if he'd be held out of Sunday's big game.

"We are expecting for him to play," said defensive end Chauncey Davis, Babineaux's closest friend on the team.

If the Falcons decide to suspend Babineaux, former Georgia Tech defensive tackle Vance Walker would move into his spot.

Babineaux has 41 tackles this season, tops on the team for defensive linemen, and has five quarterback sacks, which is tied for the team lead with Kroy Biermann. He leads the team with eight tackles for loss.

"He's big for us there inside," Davis said. "He gets a lot of pressure on the quarterback and can stop the run. It would be real big for us not to have him play."

In the past when players have been arrested, the team has allowed most to play pending their legal proceedings.

However, Babineaux's arrest will be reviewed under the NFL's Substance Abuse Policy, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

"A player will normally be subject to discipline up to and including suspension without pay for four regular and/or postseason games for a first violation of the law related to substances of abuse other than alcohol," the league policy states.

In the wake of the Michael Vick federal dogfighting case, the Falcons have tried to be careful in researching the backgrounds of their players. Some draft-eligible players have been removed from their board because of character issues.

But the team was comfortable enough with Babineaux to sign him to a five-year, $25 million contract extension in November of 2008 despite a previous arrest in Gwinnett County.

In 2007, Babineaux was charged with killing his girlfriend's dog, a pit bull-mix, but the animal cruelty case was dismissed nine months later.

Investigators had verified that the dog had a history of unprovoked attacks and that a dog trainer had told Babineaux to spin the dog around by swinging the leash when it became aggressive, District Attorney Danny Porter said when he dropped the charge.

An autopsy ruled the dog, Kilo, died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Babineaux has denied intentionally hurting the dog. His lawyer said the dog was behaving aggressively that night, and Babineaux was trying to protect himself and his daughter, Jonea, who was 5 months old at the time.

Last season, safety Lawyer Milloy was charged with driving under the influence and speeding in Gwinnett County. He started the next game against the Kansas City Chiefs. After the season, he was not re-signed by the Falcons and is currently a reserve with the Seattle Seahawks.

In May 2008, linebacker Michael Boley was charged with battery in Gwinnett County. He played and started most of last season but was also not re-signed.

Boley, now with the New York Giants, was suspended by the league for one game under the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.

Babineaux's teammates plan to support him through his legal issues.

"We have his back no matter what the outcome is," said defensive end Jamaal Anderson, who had talked to Babineaux. "We still don't know [what happened]. It's still very early in the situation."

Linebacker Michael Peterson also pledged his support.

"It's a personal situation," Peterson said. "He's going to handle it personally. We're going to support him either way, right or wrong, and get ready for Sunday."

Staff Writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this report.