Tennessee freshman tailback Daryl Vereen was arrested and charged with public intoxication on Sunday evening outside of Gibbs Hall, a source within UT’s football program told the News Sentinel.
Director of public relations Tiffany Carpenter said UT was not yet ready to release any information on the transgression or a subsequent punishment.
“Coach (Phillip) Fulmer is aware of the situation,” Carpenter said. “He is on the road recruiting and would like to discuss the punishment with the young man before we release anything publicly.”
Vereen redshirted this season after signing with the Vols out of North Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C.
This is the second incident in less than two weeks concerning UT's football program.
Freshmen receivers Gerald Jones and Ahmad Paige were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana following a traffic stop Jan. 11 in the Fort Sanders area. Police found marijuana in a vehicle driven by Jones, 18, and registered to Paige, 18.
Freshman defensive lineman William Brimfield and Jameel Owens, a wide receiver from Muskoegee, Okla., on campus for an official recruiting visit, also were in the vehicle.
Neither Brimfield nor Owens was charged.
WVLT-TV contributed to this report.
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Comments » 130
revjulian writes:
Some people on campus need to get these "athletes" into some off season programs or other sports so that all of this free time on their hands aren't spent doing stupid things. So far we have had 4 athletes get into some kind of trouble and it's not even Feb. yet!
NoMoreWooAfterGoodOleRockyTop writes:
You gotta thug it up to win in the SEC. Keep up the good work Vols.
cjraney writes:
You're right raleigh. Only thugs would drink alcohol on a college campus.
shaymous writes:
raleigh
Thug it up?, Please!!!!!! Give me a break.
ksteelescvol writes:
Before all of us start to come down on this young man. Just remember we were drinking up on the hill not so long ago. That doesn't make it right but we were doing it. And most people here have kids that were drinking there last night, they were just smart enough not to get caught. Yes your kids too...
shaymous writes:
ksteeles
So right, I too have drank on the hill, at clubs, frat parties, he's a kid, and we did it too, like you said. But, he does need to have better judgement, about when and where he chooses to do so, I wasn't an athlete, I wouldn't make the news, he is and does, not passing judgement, but make better decisions.
volchiq writes:
I think the point is, just because you drink on campus doesn't make you a thug...it makes you an idiot, but not a thug. :) I am speaking of all college idiots not just athletes. And yes, I was one too.
SavageVol08 writes:
I was drinking there Sunday night. Some kids get popped, some dont. Barring Vereen being disorderly, etc. its all about being in the right place at the wrong time. Give the kid a break, he's an 18 yr old Fr. The spotlight is just brighter on athletes.
tnbanker_govols writes:
I don't agree with drinking especially being underage but I don't think "thugging it up" is helping the Vols win anything in the SEC. Just another comment from a redneck sitting in his trailer on MLK Day with nothing to do.
shaymous writes:
tnbanker
right on the mark
agentorange writes:
put it in the crime log of the Beacon not on KNS.com.
hippie60 writes:
change the drinking age back to 18 and it wouldn't be underage drinking. Stupid TN lawmakers
shaymous writes:
hippie
Again, PLEASE!!!!!!!!! Give me a break. Do you even know why the drinking age is 21? Because the body and particularly the brain is still in developmental stages, alcohol is harmful to that and many other things of course.
orangeinbama writes:
shaymous: So they can go to Iraq and Afganistan at 18,19 & 20 years old and kill people and get killed themselves but they are not old enough to drink?
Sound logic you use there.
shaymous writes:
I don't like that fact either, but the drinking age I do agree with.
AlpharettaVol writes:
Please note that two Georgia football players were arrested for alcohol-related offenses over the weekend and within hours Richt announced they were suspended for the first game next fall and would have to do community service. Sometimes we can actually learn something from other SEC schools.
posivol writes:
good grief the tennessee press follows atheletes pro and college around with their tongues hanging out waiting for the next front page dui ect.you know in the old days the police would call a coach to come get an athelete who had made a dumb misstake and the press would brush it under the rug,nowadays its blood for the pirannahs.dadgum shame and it would definitly make me think twice about playing sports in the great state of tennessee!
AlpharettaVol writes:
sjt18 .... maybe you're right. If so maybe we ought to reexamine our policy. If those guys knew that alcohol-related charges would be an automatic suspension, they might think twice before getting drunk in public.
vol1994 writes:
Underage drinking has been a problem with our society for decades and will continue to do so.
Heck, I was stupid and partied more on weekends during my high school years than i did at UT.
You can look at the Daily Beacon (ut campus paper) every monday and see all the arrests that occurred. 80% of the arrests are alcohol related. Our student athletes have to realize they will be scrutinized since they are athletes.
Again I am not condoning underage drinking but
athletes are not the only ones drinking under age.
You can do go any frat or dormitory on any given night and see students drinking and intoxicated, etc.
I just hope we don't see anymore off the field issues but something tells me the worst is yet to come.. I hope I am wrong!!
shaymous writes:
I solely meant drinking as a harm in other ways. We can't dictate, I know that, but the drinking age, to me, is fair. 18 was the leagal drinking age in this state for only a few years in the 70's, it was 21 before then, and too many kids were being killed drinking and driving, among other factors, so it was changed it back to 21, where it should be. We all have our opinions, and anyone else/s opinion does not offend me, and I hope mine doesn't anyone else. The bottom line is, we need to help our youth, not critisize.
ONUV writes:
more great pub for UT. thanks phil.
outermonvolia.com
bernardking writes:
Yes, we all did it in school. Well, most of us anyway. The sad truth is today these kids face more scrutiny than we did, and like it or not, they have to be more reponsible than we did in the 70s and 80s. Especially the atletes. The police force is as zealous now as it has ever been. While it might not be the most equitable of situations as compared to other "college" towns, our players HAVE to adhere to a more strict set of rules. No doubt. Heck, I never had to take a drug test when I was an athlete in college and the drinking age was 18. Most anyone who played sports on the hill will tell you some of the things that went on during the 60s, 70s and 80s were much worse than what is going on today. We just weren't under the proverbial microscope as they are now. I can vividly remember drinking with a coach and it was no big deal..
Unfortunately, today's athletes HAVE to follow strict rules or ELSE. The police are EVERYWHERE. Stay inside. Try to be discreet as possible. Don't drink. Don't do drugs.
b.skelton#207404 writes:
At least he wasn't driving. That would be a much more serious problem.
cardinalvol writes:
Congratulations to Eric Ainge for being selected to replace Brian Brohm in the Senior Bowl! It's too bad the KNS has been beaten to the punch by the likes of Gatorsports.com., SI, and al.com just to name a few. Solid reporting of Wilson's home troubles, BTW.
ksteelescvol writes:
Right on the money posivol, when i was there in 96 a big DT who will not be called out, because he was a fan favorite, a cool guy, and a miami dolphin, was tossing a few bouncers and cops around inside the Lap, and the only way they could get him off the table and to go home was to call CPF and when he got there it was over in seconds. It didn't make the school paper, but the guy ran steps for a month. But in the internet age we live in these kids are gonna have to make smarter moves.
dkerr#270212 writes:
Let he without sin cast the first stone. You Bigots! Hypocrites!
DennisVols writes:
The drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 because several studies showed an increase in alcoholism in America's youth. As usual the government refused to seek a reasonable solution to the problem, like improving drug and alcohol education and took the easy road and just raised the drinking age as if that was going to fix the problem.
Drug and alcohol abuse among teens has continued to grow at a rapid rate even though the government continues to create laws to punish them more.
This is not just a problem for UT’s football team. You see similar stories about other programs, such as GA, PSU, UF, etc. It is also not just a problem involving athletes, they just happen to be more news worthy. I can’t remember the last time I went to a UT game that I did not see some teenage student drinking booze at the game. Vereen didn’t just disrespect Fulmer, or the team or the university. He disrespected himself. These players are not going to be less tempted to drink alcohol than any other teen. The best way to curb this kind of behavior is doing a better job of educating teenagers, athletes about the downfall of these kinds of abuses. More sever punishments may deter some but most go on the belief they are not going to get caught in the first place. We have to get our heads out of the sand, ostrich management, because it is not going to stop happening just because we think our university is better than that. There was a row of bars on Cumberland when I attended in the early ‘80’s. This young man made a stupid decision involving himself that has a very negative effect on how the whole team will be judged. How many of us here, over the age of 25, can honestly say we did not make any stupid decisions as a teen?
Solution: Better more intense drug and alcohol education of our teens beginning in public schools.
VOLinDAWGland writes:
cardinalvol,
Remember if it doesn't bleed or drink or smoke it doesn't lead. I'm sure the crack KNS reporters are out working too hard on recruiting news to be bothered by this bit of 'trivial' news.
FWBVol writes:
ONUV, how can you blame CPF for a kid's stupid behavior?
The debate about the legal drinking age is a moot point as far as the UT campus goes. The campus is supposed to be dry. I know SUPPOSED is the key word.
In the 1970s when the drinking age was 18, students still had their chops busted for drinking on campus. Granted, maybe people were more likely to overlook things, but it was still a problem and changing the age by three years probably want help that much other than the underage drinking thing.
I'm the rarity on here, I have never even tasted the stuff. Never really had a desire to. especially after seeing some guys so drunk they couldn't find the bathroom at the other end of Hess Hall.
I understand that drinking is a personal choice and as long as someone doesn't drive, I might not agree with their choice, but I'll support their right to make those decisions.
If you read the story correctly, it doesn't say he was charged with drinking on campus or underage drinking, the charge was public intoxication. That would seem to be a problem whatever the legal drinking age is and even if UT wasn't a dry campus.
DadwasaVol writes:
Agree with orangeinbama. If Bush can send them to get killed then they should get to drink. Amend the constitution.
TnVolFaninSmyrna writes:
Under Coach Cut, discipline was emphasized and off-field incidents dropped dramatically. I don't have the figures and probably won't take time to find them because I have a life. But, since Cut left, we have a public intoxication and kids getting popped for possession. A coincidence? Draw your own conclusions.
GreerVol22 writes:
revjulian, I couldn't agree more, but trying to fix stupid is like trying to nail jell-o to a wall.
posivol writes:
ks--But in the internet age we live in these kids are gonna have to make smarter moves.
kids and smarter moves just dont belong in the same sentance--lol
sjt18 --i dont know back in my day if you made the papers for drinking and fighting you was kind of like king for the day.
i drank under age to fit in but luckily never cared for the tatse for it.
i do believe our fighting boys should be allowed to drink if they so choose,i think they have earned the right.
jmho.
i know i cant wait for the new year,new look and and and hopefully some much needed beatdowns to our most despised rivals.you know who im talking about!
volunteer_cowboy writes:
maybe he was at the georgia party and made it all the way back before getting busted (ha ha uga)
volunteer_cowboy writes:
hello people this happens EVERYWHERE just go to a football game and walk up and down cumberland and see for yourself even plain students buy a keg and sell by the glass to make money and if you havent seen it your blind!!!!!1
volunteer_cowboy writes:
hey i agree with the argument. if your 18 you can vote, drive a car, and die in the army but you cant buy a beer... i dont condone getting plastered or dui and killing someone, but like i said if a 18 can vote, drive, or die for this country well you for sure should be allowed to buy a beer
volunteer_cowboy writes:
plus you can get married without parental consent
kaplan#211944 writes:
Eric Ainge in the senior bowl was reported two weeks ago. You can do a search.
newtonrail writes:
Not proud of it, but I did it a few times at UT. What's worse, I got in a car and drove home when I had to be impaired. I was lucky, or I should say those folks who passed me were lucky since no accident happened. Over 4o years ago the same emphasis wasn't put on drinking. Since this was mid 60's, I'm sure there were some drugs around, but I didn't see them. Unfortunately for me, alcohol led to alcoholism, and fortunately with God's help sobriety on Nov. 27,1978. And I again with God's help, I never hurt anyone in a car or otherwise except myself. And I'm doing just fine. We just buried my brother's brother-in- law from the side effects of alcoholism. That's a long diatribe to tell you that all alcohol is not fun and games.
wuwh_08#331952 writes:
Too bad the NCAA won't let athletes work, coaches frown on them playing intramural sports causing possible injury. How about these guys study? Hmm that is an idea.
cjraney writes:
jamali76-
I didn't say any of those things, you did. I was only pointing out the ridiculousness of raleigh's previous conclusion: underage drinking = thug.
rockytop#413695 writes:
Most other countries don't even have a drinking age. They have far less problems with alcoholism than we do. Their kids are taught how to drink responsibly. We on the other hand don't allow our children the opportunity to learn to drink responsibly. When they get to college on their own (and most even before that) they do what most of their friends are doing. The article didn't say he was causing trouble or threatening someone. He wasn't driving and endangering someone. The reason you don't hear about these things in many other college towns, is the police have better and more important things to do than arrest a college kid for having too much to drink. They actually have murders, robberies, rapes, and assaults to deal with. Punish him for being stupid and get on with business.
tigervol9802 writes:
An 18 year old college freshman at UT was drunk? I've never heard of such a thing!!!!! Next you are going to tell me that they have sex in the dorms! Oh the humanity!
If any moron on this boards honestly thinks that football players at every single other D-1, 2, 3 or NAIA college or university, and I mean every last one of them them, were not drunk this past weekend, then you are a blind fool. I'm not saying I agree with it, but it is reality. Give me a break.
VolsorCat writes:
Hypocrites! Hell guys, I admit it that I drank in college as did probably 95%+ of the critics. Did my parents approve? No, but they didn't know too much about it either. As I said last week, how can the staff keep up with 100 plus athletes every minute of every day. This is a minor event......No DUI, No possession, No guns, No fights. My fraternity was good for at least one fight a weekend and one party where 3/4 of the attendees were under age. Get a life critics!
mbradshaw1#655539 writes:
Just needs a little counciling and some punishment. We all fall sometime. I almost rember going to "The Last Lap" and a few other places. All my friends say we had a good time. Lets move on and be careful!
GO VOLS!!!
TommyJack writes:
bossvol351: ref you 6:27 post. One has nothing to do with the other. But don't be applying logic here.
Ironcity writes:
Lets not compare Saint Richt to Fulmer. Two years ago a player was arrested for stealing a car and driving without a license. He was suspended two games allowing him to play against SC. You also had that middle linebacker who was caught five times for drugs before he was offically kicked off the team (I believe Richt would have kept him on the team but I think he was kicked out of school). The point being is this problem is rampant on ALL universities and is not a reflection on Fulmer or the other coaches. Kids will be kids. Those of you who live in the UT universe and believe these things only happen here are just plain uninformed. In this case it sounds like the kid was dropped off and arrested out in front of Gibbs HaLL because he was drunk. Doesn't sound like he got caught actually drinking. Usually if a kid is drunk the officers just tell him to go to bed. They don't arrest him except in Knoxville.
hippie60 writes:
That's telling them volsorcat, what kind of an idiot out there thinks that laws stop underage drinking? Have they ever watched spring break? Ever heard of a fake ID? Geez teenagers will be teenagers face it.Give the kid a break.
DennisVols writes:
Some suggested this was not a problem at other universities, underage drinking, drugs or even worse. Below is a small list of some of the news reports, some more recent than others, but all involving college student-athletes making stupid decisions. Even FSU’s Bowden has had to deal with this sort of stupidity and who disrespects him and all he has accomplished.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Two Utah football players who got stabbed in a street corner fight after leaving a house party were in the wrong place at the wrong time, their coach said Monday.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/st...
Athens, GA -- (Sports Network) - Two University of Georgia football players are facing a minimum suspension of one game each for what the school has described as "separate alcohol-related incidents over the weekend."
http://www.wsbtv.com/sports/15099270/...
Two Kent State women's basketball players turned themselves in to Kent State Police Tuesday on charges of receiving stolen property.
http://media.www.kentnewsnet.com/medi...
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Two North Carolina State student athletes were arrested in Cary in connection with a rash of car break-ins.
http://www.nbc17.com/midatlantic/ncn/...
LSU coach arrested for assisting sports agent
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colleg...
Two LSU football players face charges
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colleg...
Two Texas A&M football players arrested in home-invasion case
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colleg...
Two Florida State players suspended after arrests
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colleg...
zqvol writes:
Drinking by college freshmen is an epidemic at every university. 90% of the people posting on here forget that when they were 18 that was the legal drinking age in Knoxville. If you are going to make a big deal about something this is not the one to use.
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