DJK's roommate will plead not guilty, says attorney

(AP) - One of the state's most high-profile lawyers will represent star Iowa wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos against drug charges, and an attorney for the player's roommate said Thursday his client has been unfairly labeled a drug dealer.

Des Moines lawyer Alfredo Parrish filed paperwork Wednesday to join the defense team for Johnson-Koulianos, who was charged last week with six misdemeanor drug charges including possession of cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs and keeping a drug home.

Iowa City police raided the home of Johnson-Koulianos and his roommate, Brady Cooper Johnson, last week during a drug investigation. Officers say they seized $3,000 cash, a digital scale, marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs. Police said their investigation determined Johnson, who is no relation to the player, "was selling large amounts of marijuana."

Johnson-Koulianos, a senior who is Iowa's all-time leading receiver in yards and receptions, was suspended from the team and will miss the Insight Bowl on Dec. 28 in which Iowa plays Missouri in Tempe, Ariz.

Critics have questioned how Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz and his staff didn't know a key player was living with "a drug dealer." Ferentz said Tuesday that the team has not done background checks on players' roommates or girlfriends but may consider doing so in the future.

Johnson's attorney, Timothy Francis McCarthy II of West Des Moines, said his client was friends through college with Johnson-Koulianos and there's nothing inappropriate about them living together. He said "it's a little outrageous" for critics to suggest otherwise and he downplayed his client's prior record, which includes a possession of drug paraphernalia conviction last year and operating while intoxicated.

He said the media coverage has "absolutely" been unfair to Johnson and his family and that he would plead not guilty to a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and several other charges. McCarthy said he was in the initial stages of investigating the evidence and would seek to obtain the search warrant materials, which a judge has sealed to avoid interfering with a continuing drug investigation.

"It's going to be an interesting case," he said. "It's in its infancy. We'll see where it goes."

At his initial appearance in court last week, Iowa City attorney John Beasley represented the player fans call "DJK." Parrish filed a notice to represent him in Johnson County court on Wednesday.

Parrish has defended other Hawkeye athletes who have faced legal troubles in the past, including former basketball player Pierre Pierce, who was sentenced to prison in 2005 for assaulting a former girlfriend.

Parrish is also currently representing former Iowa football player Abe Satterfield, who was accused of assaulting a woman in a residence hall room in October 2007 with teammate Cedric Everson. Parrish helped broker a plea deal in which Satterfield pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, agreed to testify at Everson's upcoming trial, and will likely escape prison time when he is sentenced Jan. 21.