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Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith could find himself playing a different kind of defense next week at the Racine County Courthouse, where he's scheduled for a hearing on tickets for speeding and possessing marijuana or synthetic marijuana.
The citations — which are not criminal charges — stem from a Sept. 29 traffic stop while Smith, 27, and teammates Rashan Gary and Kingsley Keke were returning to Green Bay from a trip to Chicago that landed them all briefly in handcuffs.
Smith, acquired in free agency from the Baltimore Ravens, has eight sacks this year. Gary, a 21-year-old linebacker, was a first-round pick from Michigan. Keke, 23, a defensive lineman, was drafted in the fifth round after playing at Texas A&M.




“The Packers are aware of the matter involving Za’Darius Smith," a team spokesperson said Friday. "We will refrain from making any further comment as it is a legal matter.”
Smith's agent did not return a text message.
According to reports from the Racine County Sheriff's Office, Smith was driving a gray 2019 GMC Yukon northbound on Interstate 94 about 5:30 p.m. when deputies clocked him going 81 mph in a 60 mph construction zone.