Missouri athletic director Mike Alden said today that school administrators are “extremely disappointed” in football coach Gary Pinkel’s lack of judgment after Pinkel received a citation Wednesday night for impaired driving.
Alden and Pinkel released statements this morning about the situation, with Alden calling Pinkel’s action “a very serious breach” of his job-related responsibilities. He said school officials were gathering facts, with plans to “take action appropriately” and communicate that action publicly.
Alden has scheduled a 4 p.m. news conference today. Neither statement mentioned the possibility of Pinkel being suspended for Saturday’s game in Columbia, Mo. between Missouri (5-5, 3-4 in Big 12) and Texas Tech (5-5, 2-5), which has bowl ramifications for both schools.
Below is a look at both statements, released this morning:
Statement from Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel
“Last night after practice, I met some friends for dinner. After dinner, I was stopped by a Boone County officer and received a citation for impaired driving. First and foremost, I am very disappointed in myself for my lack of judgment in this instance. Nobody should drink and drive, including me. My staff and I constantly reinforce with each of our players the importance of not putting yourself into a position such as this. I did not follow that here and for that, I sincerely apologize to the University of Missouri, to our administration, to the Board of Curators and to our fans. I have already met with our staff and communicated with our players and have apologized to them. I accept full responsibility for my actions and will abide by whatever course of action our leadership deems appropriate.”
Statement from Director of Athletics Mike Alden
“We are extremely disappointed in Gary’s lack of judgment. He is known as a man of great character and integrity. However, this absolutely goes against everything we stand for, and everything that he teaches his players in regards to our social responsibilities. We hold ourselves to very high standards, and this is a very serious breach of those responsibilities. We are gathering facts and will take action appropriately, and when those actions are determined, we will communicate them publicly.”
_ Jimmy Burch
I think he will serve a mandatory driving lecture from the community as well as a light sentence for community service.
Posted by: professional driving school | March 08, 2012 at 09:48 PM