Athens attorney meets with UGA's Evans

"My relationship is with the University of Georgia Athletic Association and, for that reason, I have recommended to Mr. Evans that he have individual counsel. I have recommended him to Mr. Steve Weiner, who is an expert in this area and familiar with the Atlanta judicial system. He is to meet with Mr. Weiner today and he will represent him as an individual, which is the appropriate way to handle it."

Tolley emphasized that he is not on retainer with athletic association. "I represent them on an as-needed basis. I consult with them when there are issues, and this is an issue."

The fate of Evans' job rests in the hands of UGA president Michael Adams, who is on vacation and says he will make no decisions until an internal investigation of Evans' arrest is concluded.

The AJC has requested a copy of the incident report from the Georgia State Patrol after a trooper stopped Evans late Wednesday night on Piedmont Road at Chastain Drive in Buckhead.

At a news conference in Athens Thursday afternoon, Evans apologized for making a "grave, grave mistake" but said he hopes to remain in his post.

"I let this university down, I let my family down, I let those in the Bulldog Nation down," Evans said. "My behavior, my actions, were not indicative of what we teach our student-athletes at the University of Georgia."

Evans, addressing university administrators and Bulldogs fans, said he would "do everything in my power to make you believe in me again."

"My desire is to keep my job," he said.

Whether he'll have the opportunity to do so remains unclear.

In a statement, Adams said he will "reserve further action pending a full review by staff and legal counsel."

"Drinking and driving is a serious matter, and I was extremely disappointed to hear of the arrest," Adams said. "Certainly this is not an example of the kind of leadership that I expect our senior administrators to set. I have high regard for Damon personally; I care deeply about him and his family and know him to be a man of integrity. He has sincerely apologized to me for the embarrassment this has brought upon the university."

Asked if he felt his job was jeopardy, Evans replied, “If I bring too much shame or embarrassment to this institution, no telling what may happen. But Dr. Adams has been very good to deal with thus far. I don't know what's coming my way."

Evans apologized directly to his spouse, Kerri, who sat quietly nearby.

"I have a beautiful wife who's going through a lot right now, which haunts me and troubles me," he said. "I've hurt everybody. I do feel like my actions have put a black cloud over our program."

A passenger in Evans' 2009 BMW, 28-year-old Courtney Fuhrmann, of Atlanta, was also arrested for disorderly conduct. Evans described her as "just a friend."

"I'm not talking to any reporters," Fuhrmann told the AJC Thursday from her Buckhead apartment. According to her LinkedIn page, Fuhrmann is an asset manager for an Atlanta real estate firm. She graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2005 with a degree in journalism.

Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said Fuhrmann repeatedly ignored a trooper's warning to stay in the car after Evans, 40, was pulled over at 11:55 p.m. near the intersection of Roswell Road and Chastain Drive.

"He ordered her back into the car several times and she continued to get out," Wright told the AJC.  Evans and Fuhrmann were booked at Atlanta city jail then released Thursday morning.

"The trooper made the traffic stop after observing the manner he was driving," Wright said. "[The trooper] got him stopped, detected an odor of alcohol, administered field sobriety and [arrested him]."

Evans, charged with DUI and failure to maintain his lane, refused to take a breath test.

Ironically, Thursday marked the beginning of a lucrative new five-year contract for Evans, who received a $110,000 raise in annual salary.

The former Bulldogs wide receiver met with coaches and senior staff Thursday afternoon and many of them attended his news conference. Head Football Coach Mark Richt was out of town on vacation.

Evans, who became one of the youngest athletic directors in the nation when he succeeded Vince Dooley in 2004, earns $550,000 annually, with additional $20,000 raises each subsequent year through 2015.

Sophomore Kaitlin Miller said Evans' arrest has caused quite a buzz on campus.

"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."

Evans was the front man when Georgia’s Athletic Association firmed up its alcohol policy, mandating suspensions for players arrested for alcohol-related violations. Under the guidelines approved by Evans, football players must sit out 10 percent of the season for their first alcohol-related offense.

In 2006, the school rewrote its rules governing pregame tailgating, in order to curtail excessive partying. Tailgaters were banned from setting up tents and tables until 7 a.m. and several “family friendly” areas around campus where alcohol was banned.

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

The last employee arrested for an alcohol-related offense, in March, also worked for the school's Athletic Association. Assistant ticket manager Karen Melissa Warther, who, like Evans, was charged with DUI and failure to maintain her lane, remains employed by the university, according to the association's Web site.

Evans, raised in Gainesville, returned to his alma mater in 1998 as an associate athletic director. The Nebraska native and his wife have two children.

"I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me," he said Thursday. "I made a grave mistake that will haunt me all my life."

--Staff writers Larry Hartstein, Kristi E. Swartz, Chelsea Cook and Laura Diamond contributed to this report.