University of Tennessee football signee Joseph Lee Smith was dismissed from the team Wednesday after being arrested and charged with drunken driving earlier in the day.

Smith learned his fate during a meeting with UT Coach Phillip Fulmer on Wednesday afternoon.

The UT Athletics Department released Fulmer's decisions on Smith and Marsalous Johnson, who had been charged with aggravated assault over the weekend.

A redshirt freshman, Johnson was suspended for the first four games of the season.

"We have excellent positive energy around our team," Fulmer said in the release. "We have many outstanding young men and those are the ones we will work with, and the ones that have been inconsiderate of our program or act immaturely will be left behind.

"Marsalous and Lee have embarrassed this great university and not presented themselves in a manner that appropriately represents our program. I have demanded accountability from our players and the team, and these two players have not followed instructions."

Smith, the son of a UT and professional football player, leaves UT without even having the chance to practice with the team.

The Volunteers report to campus today and begin practice Friday.

"Regarding Lee, I have made the decision that he be dismissed from the football team," Fulmer said. "I have great respect for the Smith family and for Daryle as a former Volunteer. It is my sincere hope that this will be an opportunity for Lee to mature and get his life in order."

Fulmer was the offensive line coach when Smith's father played tackle for the Volunteers in the mid-1980s.

Lee Smith, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end, was arrested on campus during the early morning hours Wednesday.

According to a UT Police Department incident report, a security guard reported a possible intoxicated driver operating in the area of Fraternity Park Drive and Pat Head Summitt Street at 3:57 a.m.

UT Police officer Eric Zaremski wrote in the incident report that when he arrived on the scene he saw a dark-colored truck driving off the sidewalk onto Johnny Majors Drive.

According to the incident report, the events unfolded as follows.

Zaremski followed the green 2001 GMC Sierra pickup as it traveled eastbound on Johnny Majors and turned on his emergency equipment to stop the truck.

"The driver of the dark-colored truck did not respond to my vehicle's equipment," the officer wrote.

But Zaremski wrote that the truck did pull over to the side of Johnny Majors Drive, and the driver shifted the vehicle into a parked position.

"As I approached the truck, the driver put the vehicle into drive and hit a parked vehicle in front of the truck," Zaremski wrote. "There was no apparent damage to the vehicle."

Another UT police officer, Kenny Bradley, arrived and they ordered the driver, who was identified as Smith, 18, of Powell, to shut off his vehicle.

"Officer Bradley and I were in fear that Smith may attempt to flee the area," Zaremski wrote. "We then assisted Smith in exiting the truck and detained him.

"We immediately noticed a strong aroma of alcohol upon Smith's breath. Smith's speech was very slurred, and he was unsteady upon his feet.

"Smith said that he was turning around in the street, and that was how his vehicle ended up on the sidewalk."

The officer said Smith was given four standard field sobriety tests and failed all of them.

Smith was arrested and charged with DUI and received an implied-consent charge after refusing to take a breath-alcohol test.

An 18-year-old female passenger in Smith's vehicle was not charged and left in other transportation.

The 2006 Powell graduate and sports star is at the center of a Knox County Schools investigation, involving Powell High School Assistant Principal Kimberly Kallenberg.

Kallenberg has been suspended amid allegations she had a sexual relationship with a student athlete and tampered with students' grades. She has denied the allegations.

Smith, in an affidavit obtained by the News Sentinel, has said he "never had any sexual and/or inappropriate relationship with Kimberly L. Kallenberg."

Wednesday, before Smith was dismissed from the team, his attorney, Donald A. Bosch, said: "This is a very difficult time for the Smith family with all these unfair and untrue allegations swirling around Lee."

As for the DUI charge Bosch said, "We have no comment at this time."

On Tuesday, Kallenberg began legal action against the Knox County Board of Education.

"I was discriminated against because of my sex/gender," she wrote in an affidavit attached to a complaint filed on her behalf by attorney Gregory P. Isaacs with the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.

Isaacs also lodged on Kallenberg's behalf a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, accusing the Knox County Board of Education of violating the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA.

Randy Kenner may be reached at 865-342-6305. Jamie Satterfield may be reached at 865-342-6308.