The Ottawa Redblacks had Quan Bray listed as a starting wide receiver for their Friday night game against the Edmonton Elks – until the Canadian Football League team learned of the arrest warrant that had been issued for the former Auburn standout on Thursday.

Quebec Court Judge Alexandre Dalmau issued the warrant on Thursday when neither Bray nor a representative was in the Montreal court at his scheduled time, the Montreal Gazette reported. The allegations against Bray include assault, sexual assault and obstruction of justice. The judge canceled the warrant when Bray’s attorney got to court later on Thursday, and his next court date was set for August.

Although Bray was arrested in April and made his first court appearance in the case on May 1, the Redblacks seemed to have learned about Bray’s legal troubles only on Thursday.

“The Ottawa Redblacks were made aware Thursday of criminal charges pending against receiver Quan Bray,” the CFL team announced. “Bray has been released by the organization.”

Bray’s mother was murdered by his father on July 3, 2011. In 2017, Bray started the Quan Bray All-Purpose Foundation, which aimed to help children who experience domestic violence. Bray wrote the book “Keep the Dream Alive,” published in 2019, about dealing with his mother’s murder just as he was to report to Auburn for his freshman year.

Bray and former Auburn teammate Greg Robinson were charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana after they were stopped while transporting approximately 157 pounds of it, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Feb. 19, 2020.

According to the federal criminal complaint, a U.S. Border Patrol dog alerted to their sport utility vehicle on Interstate 10 in western Texas, and the accompanying agent radioed the Sierra Blanca Checkpoint Station. U.S. Border Patrol agents there stopped the vehicle for inspection, which turned up about 157 pounds of marijuana in duffel bags.

Bray told the Montreal Gazette that he didn’t know the amount of marijuana being carried, but “because it’s kind of legal in certain states,” he didn’t consider the trip risky.

Bray received an undisclosed fine after pleading to guilty to one charge in the case.

“I prefer not to go into too much detail, but what I can tell you is that I learned from my mistake,” Bray told La Presse in Montreal at the time. “There were consequences, including a fine. I turned the page on this situation.

“People often judge a situation before knowing all the details. I had no criminal record and had never had a problem with the law before this story, and I think that was a big factor in the equation. I didn’t have a big role in this whole story.”

Bray had started both Ottawa games this season and had seven receptions for 153 yards.

Bray had 35 receptions for 481 yards and two touchdowns for the Montreal Alouettes in 2021 as the CFL returned to the field after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 campaign.

During his three seasons at Auburn, Bray became the first player to score rushing, receiving and punt-return touchdowns in the same season for the Tigers.

Bray earned a place on the Indianapolis practice squad as an undrafted rookie, and the Colts called him up on Oct. 27, 2015. He played in 24 games over the next three seasons for Indianapolis, even though his 2016 and 2017 campaigns were affected by injuries.

Bray returned 48 kickoffs for a 25.6-yard average and 45 punts for a 7.0-yard average, caught six passes for 75 yards and had a 7-yard run while with the Colts.

After being released by the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans before the start of the 2018 NFL season, Bray returned to the field with the Birmingham Iron in 2019. He played in three games before the Alliance of American Football folded. He returned seven punts for 51 yards and had a 3-yard rushing attempt.

But Bray wasn’t through with football for that year. He joined Montreal and caught 58 passes for 818 yards and six touchdowns, returned 14 punts for an 8.8-yard average and had a 22.5-yard average on two kickoff returns for the Alouettes in 2019.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.