The Tennessean has reported that the assistant football coach of Vanderbilt University's Commodores has pleaded guilty to his second DUI, and his first DUI conviction occurred over 10 years ago when he was a player with UCLA.
V.T., 37, entered his guilty plea on March 5 in a Nashville courtroom, and chose not to speak with reporters. The DUI incident occurred on February 16.
The director of media relations for Vanderbilt, R.W., said that coach D.M. was "now considering his options with his staff" while V.T.'s future with the team is unclear. V.T. has since returned to his family and their home in California, and maintains his employment, for the time being, with Vanderbilt.
R.W. added, "One thing we can say for certain is (V.T.) will not be coaching this season."
As part of his plea deal V.T. has lost his driving privileges for one year, must complete an alcohol safety class, serve 24 hours of community service, pay a fine of $350 and serve probation for his entire 12-month sentence – as all but 48 hours were suspended.
V.T. was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. That charge was dismissed.
Roger May, V.T.'s attorney, said, "In effect he's manned up. He wants to apologize to the Vanderbilt community; he wants to apologize to the athletic department. He's very embarrassed by this situation, and I can assure you I don't think it's going to happen again."
According to a Davidson County affidavit V.T. had a .18 percent in his Breathalyzer test - more than double the legal limit to drive – and was arrested.
According to Los Angeles Superior Court records, in 2000 V.T. was convicted for a 1997 drunk driving incident, while he was playing football for UCLA.
Following the February arrest Vanderbilt released a statement that read, "Based upon information received Vanderbilt assistant coach (V.T.) has been suspended indefinitely by Head Football Coach (D.M.) stemming from an incident that occurred Feb. 16 in Nashville. Vanderbilt University will continue its investigation into the matter."
Records show that V.T. drove into two vehicles parked on West End Avenue and then fled the scene on foot hoping to escape police. When officers tracked him down several blocks away he admitted to causing the accidents. Officers noted that he smelled of alcohol, his footing was unsteady and his eyes were bloodshot and watery looking. He admitted to drinking a couple of beers in a bar downtown. During the field sobriety testing officers noted that V.T.'s balance was so bad that "The one leg stand had to be stopped because the suspect could not keep his balance and the risk of him falling over and injuring himself was high."
V.T., a Hawaiian native, also worked as the defensive line assistant at Stanford from 2012-13.
If you have been arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), driving while impaired (DWI), operating a vehicle while impaired (OWI) or operating a vehicle under the influence (OUI) contact a DUI attorney for help!