The National Football League has found itself under increasing pressure recently to take disciplinary action against athletes who are arrested for DUI or convicted of DUI. Now, the pressure is on colleges and universities as well. University of Idaho team athlete Dezmon Epps was recently suspended from the team following a DUI arrest.
The arrest occurred in the month of April, when Epps was arrested in Pullman in Washington. Last month, he pleaded guilty to charges of DUI. He was sentenced to one day in jail, and was placed under two years of probation. Now, he has been dismissed from the football team, and according to the court, the dismissal was linked to a “violation of team rules.” Epps was the top receiver on the team.
According to a statement by the team, the team has high standards and expectations for players, as well as student-athletes, and has defined consequences that apply when student-athletes fail to meet these expectations.
DUI is not the only problem with Epp’s record. According to the Idaho Repository, he was also charged with a misdemeanor theft crimes recently. A pre trial hearing has been scheduled in that matter.
A series of DUI arrests involving NFL football athletes has placed the organization under extreme pressure to take stronger action, when athletes indulge in such behavior. NFL athletes have no reason to drive intoxicated. They can afford chauffeurs, who can drive them around, and there is no need for them to put themselves in a situation where they are at risk of a DUI arrest. It's not just football athletes at the NFL who have found themselves in the spotlight after being arrested for DUI. Even top ranking football team executives have been reprimanded for their DUI arrests.
