Source: Evans, UGA reach settlement; resignation to be announced today

By Tim Tucker and Chip Towers

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A source confirmed Sunday that Damon Evans and the University of Georgia have reached a negotiated settlement that will result in his resignation as athletic director today.

Georgia athletic director Damon Evans leaves a news conference in Athens, Ga., Thursday, July 1, 2010. A state trooper pulled Evans over late Wednesday night for driving erratically. Police said Evans smelled of alcohol and was given a field sobriety test. He was taken to Atlanta's city jail on charges of DUI and failure to maintain a lane. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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The resignation is expected to be announced during an 11 a.m. teleconference of the executive committee of the University of Georgia Athletic Association.

Evans has been under fire since his DUI arrest Wednesday in Atlanta.

He met Sunday afternoon at his Bogart home with Edward Tolley, the attorney for the UGAA, said a person who identified himself as Sam Evans, Damon Evans' father.

Tolley said after the meeting that "I can't talk about it."

Asked whether Evans could be reached, Tolley said Evans was on his way to Boston to join his family.

Evans, 40,  was arrested on a DUI charge after a traffic stop late Wednesday night. Evans refused a breathalyzer test and spent the night in the city jail.

Courtney Fuhrmann, 28, who was in the car with Evans, was arrested for disorderly conduct. A married father of two, Evans called Fuhrmann "a friend."

The AJC attempted to contact Fuhrmann for comment Sunday but has not received a response.

When the state trooper who pulled Evans and Fuhrmann over asked Evans why he had a pair of red panties between his legs, Evans replied: "She took them off and I held them because I was just trying to get her home," the trooper's report states.

At one point, Evans pleaded with the officer: "I am not trying to bribe you, but I am the athletic director of the University of Georgia," the report states.

In a Thursday news conference, Evans apologized but said he hoped to keep his job.

"I talk about setting the tone and setting an example and I failed at that," he said. "I sincerely apologize for my actions. I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me. I made a grave, grave mistake. My actions have put a black cloud over our storied program. I have to take a step back and get on track."

Evans was stopped in his BMW minutes before his new, five-year contract was to begin. The deal called for Evans to receive a $110,000 raise to $550,000 annually.

The amount of the settlement is not known at this time.

Evans, a former Bulldogs wide receiver, became one of the youngest athletic directors in the nation when he succeeded Vince Dooley in 2004.

--Staff writer Larry Hartstein contributed to this report.