UGA athletic director to address DUI charge

By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

UGA Athletic Director Damon Evans, whose lucrative new five-year contract takes effect today, will appear before the media at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his arrest for driving under the influence.

It's not known if Evans will take questions but his remarks have been coordinated with university officials. According to a spokesman, UGA President Michael Adams will issue a written statement following the news conference at the Rankin Smith Center on campus.

A Georgia State Patrol trooper pulled over Evans, driving a 2009 BMW, shortly before midnight Wednesday on Roswell Road and Chastain Drive.

"The trooper made the traffic stop after observing the manner he was driving," said Gordy Wright, the state patrol spokesman. "He got him stopped, detected an odor of alcohol, administered field sobriety and determined he was less safe to be driving."

Evans, charged with DUI and failure to maintain his lane, was booked at Atlanta city jail, where he refused to take a breath test, Wright said. The 40-year-old was released early Thursday.

Wright said a passenger with Evans also was taken to jail but further details have not been made available.

In Athens, coaches and senior staff met in Evans' office in the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall at 1:20 p.m.

Evans, who became one of the youngest athletic directors in the nation when he succeeded Vince Dooley in 2004, received a $110,000 raise in February to $550,000 annually, with additional $20,000 raises each subsequent year.

Sophomore Kaitlin Miller said students will be buzzing about Evans, who played football at UGA.

"It's a huge disappointment," said Miller, a member of the Student Government Association. "I can see students naturally pointing to hypocrisy because of everything he has said against drunk driving."

Miller said there will need to be accountability and she expects some sort of apology.

"He needs to apologize because there is no condoning that behavior," she said. "But this was a mistake, a lapse in judgment. I hope it doesn't jeopardize his previous messages against drunk driving."

Under Athletic Association policy, student-athletes get suspended for 10 percent of the season for an alcohol-related arrest.

University employees may receive disciplinary action or be suspended for a wide variety of offenses, including "bringing discredit to the university."

--Staff writers Christian Boone, Chip Towers and Laura Diamond contributed to this report.