This counts as a REALLY bad story.
UGA Athletics Director Damon Evans was arrested overnight on charges of driving under the influence in Atlanta. MyFoxAtlanta.com has the full story and the mug shot. I'm still working on details, which I'll post as soon as I get them.
UPDATE (12:50 p.m.)
-- The AJC has a few more details including comment from a police spokesman. Still no word from UGA or Evans.
One interesting nugget out of the AJC report is this:
Wright said a passenger with Evans also was taken to jail. Wright could not immediately provide further details.
This adds a bit more intrigue to an already volatile story, depending on who the mysterious passenger was. If it was another UGA employee, that could be significantly more problematic.
As for the actual charges, Evans' apparent refusal to submit to a breath test violates the state's implied consent law.
Under Georgia's implied consent law, you are agreeing to chemical testing when you driving a motor vehicle. The implied consent law basically means that if you are driving you are "consenting" to DUI testing upon being suspected of DUI.
In the state of Georgia, you are required to submit to a breathalyzer is required by a police officer. If you refuse, you could lose your license or receive other penalties.
What that means is, Evans is subject to various automatic penalties which could include loss of driving privileges, but it is not legal evidence of guilt on DUI charges. So, there's still much we won't know regarding the situation for a while.
Of course, as has been said numerous times of Georgia's players following an off-field incident -- sometimes guilt is less important than how the situation appears. And this looks really bad.
I would expect some comment from UGA or Michael Adams at some point, but I've not been informed of a time table on that.
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30 comments:
And here I was worrying about the players staying out of trouble!
Nice way for him to set a good example for all the students.
Great. Just friggin great. As if the athletic program doesn't have a bad enough reputation.
FAIL
Completely agree with Clint, by the way.
A conviction, there, should just about lock up the Fullmer Cup for UGA, I'd think. Stanford Fan says that's almost as good as 16 straight Directors' Cups.
Will be surprised if he doesn't resign by the beginning of next week.
What a terrible picture.
Claude Felton, as good as he is, will not be able to spin this.
I wonder if he'll be suspended for 10% of the year?
must have been a dang good beer to make it worth losing the best job in the state of Georgia.
I love that the AJC posted a link to the video of Damon's anti-drunk driving ad they show before every game. Priceless!
Hopefully this will be a lesson for our players and students.
David,
Are you sure you haven't been rehired to cover the UGA beat for another paper? The Hale-curse continues.
On a side note, somebody go pull Dooley out of the garden and let him know there's some temp work for him over at Butts-Mehre.
NO, Tech fans, We still have our Running Backs, We still Run this State.
DUMB!!! I think he'll have to resign - zero credibility now. You can't be an example to athletes and do that. Think of all the athletes now who can get in trouble and say "well Damon Evans did it and he got to stay at Georgia..."
Uh, if you are a ech fan writing in talking trash, Shut up! This about Evans driving drunk! It is setting a bad example for young people, about endangering the lives of innocent people on the road. In addition, many of us know, if we are honest, we may have hit the road after more than two drinks. We may have felt fine, but the truth is no one should be on the road after more than 2 drinks! I have been attending UGA games for years and that includes Tech games. Drunks freaking everywhere and I have seen a truckload get behind the wheel. This is not just a problem for Damon. It's a damn problem for all of us. This ain't about football!
This will look great for recruits! Not
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BEW6PHMXWk
This is just a little bit ironic.
Is he fired yet?
HURRY UP AND LEAVE HALE! Then we can end this curse of bad news!!!
I'm just so disappointed in Damon. I didn't think him capable of such a colossal lapse in judgement.
I'm disappointed too, but can we let all the facts come to light before we go convicting the man? I mean, I wouldn't want to be treated as he is being treated right now.
Man, he must have been pretty messed up to refuse the breath test, knowing that doing that automatically gets you in big trouble. And just what could have gotten his passenger arrested, since he wasn't driving? Open container, illegal drugs, gun violation, or obstructing an officer? This whole episode reeks, and I have a feeling it's only going to get worse.
The passenger was a student...that can't be good.
They should either fire him or he needs to resign. How can you hold students and players accountable if you do not hold the leaders accountable. He made a choice , he needs to live with the consequences ....he was not only putting his own life in jeopardy but everyone out there on the road. An apology just does not get it in my opinion..
For once do the right thing. Find someone who can serve and run the program that has some honesty and integrity. Surely there is somebody out there to fit the bill.
I don't condemn the man for drinking. I condemn him for DWI and not using good judgement. What kind of example is this? Fire him posthaste!!!!
Guess that huge pay raise he just got will help some attorney fees
I think the ADs bonus should be taken away from him as punishment and applied toward additional athletic scholarships and other programs.
I think the ADs bonus should be taken away from him as punishment and applied toward additional athletic scholarships and other programs.
Being charged with DUI can seriously damage one's reputation and credibility. This case of Mr. Evans only shows that nobody's exempted from the law, even the ones who have a "name" to take care of. Here in Jacksonville, criminal defense cases related to DUI involve all sorts of people, and it's up to the Jacksonville criminal defense attorneys to find ways on how to defend their clients, save their license from confiscation, and keep their reputation intact.
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