COLUMBIA, MO. -- Update: Friday, November 18 at 12:30 p.m.:
Gary Pinkel pleaded guilty in court today. A judge sentenced Pinkel to 30 days in jail, but gave him a suspended execution of sentence. He will also serve two years of unsupervised probation.
Update: Friday, November 18th at 11:45 a.m.:
Authorities in Boone County have officially charged Mizzou head football coach Gary Pinkel with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated.
Pinkel will appear in court on Dec. 13.
Update: Thursday, November 17th at 4:25 p.m.:
Athletic Director Mike Alden announced in a news conference on Thursday that Gary Pinkel would be suspended from his position without pay for one week, and would have a second week of pay donated to the Campus Wellness Resource Center.
Pinkel will also be required to do 50 hours of community service before June 30, will be under a hiring freeze and will lose the opportunity for several bonuses for this season.
Pinkel will also be required to write a letter of public apology for his actions.
Although, Alden said he never invisioned something like this happening again, he said if it did, the consequences would be much more severe up to and including possible termination.
Alden stressed several times this incident was a first-time offense and a lapse of judgement on Coach Gary Pinkel's part. He said Pinkel met with the team around 2:45. Alden met with the team at 3 p.m.
Update: Thursday, November 17th at 3:40 p.m.:
Missouri Football Coach Gary Pinkel offered a public apology after his overnight arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.
A Boone County Sheriff’s deputy arrested Pinkel in Columbia after he met with some friends for dinner after football practice.
Prosecutors have not a made a decision on whether to file formal criminal charges.
Boone County Sheriff’s investigators are not releasing the results of Pinkel’s alcohol test or his patrol car dash cam video because of their ongoing investigation. A deputy pulled over Pinkel about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday night on Keene street, just north of Broadway. The officer noticed Pinkel’s vehicle was swerving from lane to lane.
Boone County Sheriff’s Department Major Tom Reddin said, “There were lane and signal violations that were the probable cause for the traffic stop. Then the deputies developed probable cause, after contacting Mr. Pinkel, to further indicate that he was operating a vehicle under the influence.”
In a written statement, Pinkel said, “First and foremost, I am very disappointed in myself for my lack of judgment in this instance. Nobody should drink and drive, including me. I sincerely apologize to the University of Missouri, to our administration, to the Board of Curators and to our fans. I accept full responsibility for my actions and will abide by whatever course of action our leadership deems appropriate.”
MU Chancellor Brady Deaton also released a written statement and said, “I was deeply disappointed to hear the news about Coach Pinkel. His lack of judgment is especially concerning since he serves as a role model for our students.”
Pinkel said he has met with his coaching staff about the incident and also apologized to his players.
Pinkel was released from the Boone County Jail a few minutes after midnight after posting a $500 bond for his first offense DWI arrest.
Pinkel was arrested without incident.
Update: Thursday, November 17th at 12:25 p.m.:
University of Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton released the following statement regarding MU Football Coach Gary Pinkel's arrest for suspicion of DWI:
“I was deeply disappointed to hear the news about Coach Pinkel. Coaches must hold themselves to the very highest of standards. His lack of judgment is especially concerning since he serves as a role model for our students. I expect Mike Alden to take appropriate action and he has my support in doing so. I also expect and believe that Coach Pinkel will accept full responsibility for his actions and will act in accordance with the standards he expects from his players.”
Update: Thursday, November 17th at 10:50 a.m.:
University of Missouri-Columbia's Football Coach Gary Pinkel and Director of Athletics Mike Alden have both issued statements regarding Pinkel's citation Wednesday night for impaired driving.
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.”
Original Story:
Mizzou's head football coach Gary Pinkel was arrested on suspicion of DWI Wednesday night in Columbia.
The Boone County Sheriff's Department said deputies stopped Pinkel's vehicle around 10:15 p.m. on Keene Street, just north of Broadway.
Deputies stopped Pinkel for lane and signal violations. Deputies said they had probable cause to believe he was operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and took him into custody. Deputies said Pinkel was cooperative during his arrest.
Pinkel paid a $500 bond for the DWI first offense arrest and was released from the Boone County Jail.
No formal charges have been filed.
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