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Johnson-Koulianos arrested
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Desmond Marrow has known Derrell Johnson-Koulianos since the two were middle-schoolers playing for opposing football teams. They were teammates on a state-finalist Cardinal Mooney team in 2005 and have stayed in close contact throughout their college football careers.
Which is why, when Marrow heard about Koulianos’ arrest on drug charges Tuesday, he was so stunned.
“I guess the overall reaction was, ‘Wow,’” said Marrow, now a senior cornerback at Toledo. “I never really expected something like that.
“It’s kind of hard to believe. He’s such a good kid. I was taken aback.”
Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa’s all-time leading receiver and a fan favorite nicknamed “DJK,” is accused of keeping a drug house at his home in a quiet neighborhood several blocks from campus. He’s also charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana, and police said he tested positive for both.
Mooney assistant coach Chris Amill said he was “just in shock” when he heard the news.
“If you hang around him and talk with him, you would never think anything like that,” Amill said. “That’s pretty much the baseline for everyone I’ve talked to.
“He was always very pleasant, well-mannered and respectful. I’m sure if you asked 100 people at Iowa, his coaches and the players, they’d tell you the same thing.”
Johnson-Koulianos smiled for photographers as he entered the Johnson County courtroom Wednesday. He stood with his hands behind his back as Judge Stephen Gerard read the seven charges against him and the potential jail time — up to 71/2 years — and fines he faces. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing and an arraignment date was not immediately scheduled.
The 23-year-old receiver and his roommate, 21-year-old Brady Cooper Johnson, were charged Tuesday after police officers raided their Iowa City home. Johnson-Koulianos was released after posting $8,000 bond. Johnson made his initial appearance by video from the jail, where he later was released on $14,500 bond.
“It’s unfortunate,” said Mooney coach P.J. Fecko, who said he never had any issues with Johnson-Koulianos during his one season with the Cardinals. “I hope that the people around him stay with him and help guide him through this unfortunate situation.”
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz suspended Johnson-Koulianos from team activities after learning of the arrest, which came as Iowa begins to prepare to play Missouri in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 28.
Johnson-Koulianos, who played his first three seasons at Campbell Memorial before transferring to Mooney, received first-team all-Big Ten honors from the conference’s coaches last month. He finished the regular season with 46 receptions for 745 yards and 10 touchdowns, becoming Iowa’s career leader in receptions and receiving yards in the process. He was the first player ever to lead the Hawkeyes in receiving his first three seasons.
Johnson-Koulianos’ biological father died when he was 12, and with his biological mother often working two jobs, he became close with his friend Steven Koulianos and Steven's parents, Tony and Lauren. Although Derrell's mother, Antwayn, was still involved in her son's life, the Koulianos family played a bigger role as the years went on.
"They’re a great family," said Amill. "They raised him like he was their own. They provided for him and did everything for him.”
After three standout years at Campbell, Johnson-Koulianos transferred to Mooney before his senior season and led the Cardinals to the Division IV state championship game. An injured foot suffered in the state semifinals sidelined him for the final, which Mooney lost to Coldwater.
He eventually signed with Iowa, redshirting his first season, then became a part-time starter as a freshman receiver/kick returner. He’s been a full-time starter for the past three years and would likely have been selected in next year’s NFL draft.
Marrow said he believes Johnson-Koulianos will learn from this experience and get his life straightened out.
“He’s a strong person,” Marrow said. “Even as a kid, he went through things most people don’t know about. It’s tough to hear that about a good friend and no matter what he goes through, I stand behind him 100 percent. He knows me and his friends and family are all there for him.
“It’s a minor setback for a major comeback.”
Amill believes Johnson-Koulianos eventually will realize his NFL potential.
“He’s a resilient guy,” Amill said. “Everything he’s been through, even this, is going to make him a better person. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Canton someday, making the kind of [Hall of Fame] speech [Cowboys receiver] Michael Irvin did [about past drug use]. He’s the same kind of player.
“At least now, whatever issue he’s dealing with, he can get help.”
Police say they found marijuana, more than $3,000 in cash, a digital scale and other items used to sell drugs throughout the residence. The complaint against Johnson-Koulianos does not accuse him of dealing drugs. Instead, it says officers located cocaine residue, “small quantities of marijuana” in his bedroom, and a variety of legal painkillers and other pills for which he did not have prescriptions.
The complaint says Johnson-Koulianos agreed to take a urine test and tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.
He allegedly told officers he had used drugs, “he knew drugs were being used and likely sold out of the residence,” and they obtained “electronic media” showing him possessing cocaine. He told police he got the pills from friends and took some to relieve pain.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.