Former Gophers football player A.J. Barker was charged Monday, Jan. 14, in Houston on suspicion of marijuana possession, according to court records.

Barker, 21, was arrested about 11 p.m. Sunday on the campus of the University of Houston, where he planned to start classes Monday, according to a Harris County, Texas, court official and court records.

He posted $500 bail and was ordered to appear in court Feb. 14.

Barker, a wide receiver, quit the University of Minnesota football team in November in a dispute with Gophers coach Jerry Kill. He moved to Houston in December and planned to join the football team in the spring. Houston athletic officials said Barker was not added to the roster at the start of the spring semester Monday.

“We did not add A.J. Barker or any other walk-ons to our team in our usual add window at the start of the spring semester,” Houston team spokesman David Bassity told the Pioneer Press early Wednesday afternoon. “He was never offered a scholarship from Houston.”

Houston coach Tony Levine, a St. Paul native, played wide receiver for the Gophers from 1991-95.

Barker, whose 30 catches for 577 yards and seven touchdowns were team highs among Gophers receivers, did not play after suffering a high ankle sprain during a 44-28 victory over Purdue on Oct. 27.

The St. Paul native and former DeLaSalle standout announced Nov. 18 on Twitter and in an open letter to Kill on Tumblr that he would transfer.

Barker said he was mistreated by the Gophers. The final straw was a confrontation Kill had with him over his injury recovery, he said. Kill denied the allegation and said he wished Barker had talked with him before deciding to quit the team.