Two Auburn players charged with DUI; both will miss bowl game

AUBURN, Ala. — Two Auburn football players have been arrested for driving under the influence in the last month.

Fullbacks John Douglas and Jason King have both been charged with a DUI in separate incidents since Dec. 5. Both are awaiting court dates in Auburn Municipal Court.

Douglas, 20, is a scholarship sophomore from Augusta, Ga. King, 21, is a walk-on junior from Newnan, Ga.

“Right now, they will not be making the bowl trip,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. “Without going into detail of circumstances, they have been suspended from our football team to this point.”

Chizik said both have practiced some since the incidents.

Douglas was pulled over in a blue 2002 Jeep Cherokee at 12:57 a.m. Dec. 5 at the intersection of West Longleaf Drive and Downs Way on the south side of Auburn, according to a police report.

King was pulled over in a white 2002 Honda Accord at 1:38 a.m. Saturday morning near the intersection of South Gay Street and East Thach Avenue near downtown.

King’s court date is set for Feb. 18, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told the Opelika-Auburn News. Douglas’ is March 11.

As first-time offenders, both face a misdemeanor charge. If convicted, they face up to a one-year jail sentence and a fine between $600 and $2,100. They also can be ordered to attend a court-approved substance abuse program and have their driver’s license suspended for 90 days.

Douglas played in 11 games this year but sat out the Alabama contest. He was used primarily as a blocker.

King played in 10 games, mostly on special teams. He made three tackles.

Both were considered candidates to get playing time in the absence of H-back Eric Smith, who was ruled academically ineligible for the Outback Bowl.

That brings the number of Auburn players suspended for the bowl game to four. Freshman quarterback Tyrik Rollison was suspended indefinitely earlier this month for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

Dead zone

After a flurry of recruiting gets early this month, Auburn’s coaches are on an NCAA-mandated break until the New Year.

The NCAA recruiting dead period started Sunday and runs through Jan. 1. Coaches cannot have face-to-face contact with recruits on or off campus and are restricted to one phone call per week with prospective recruits.

“I think we’re sitting about as good as we can be sitting with most of the guys we have left out there that we’re recruiting,” Chizik said. “It’s a period of time where they get a little reprieve and a little break from all this, but we’re going to continue to recruit them hard within the rules, whatever we’re allowed to do with our one phone call a week.”

Auburn signed four players — two from high school and two from junior college — last week who plan to enroll in January. The Tigers also hosted quarterback Cameron Newton, the No. 1 junior college player in the country, on an official visit last weekend.

Auburn can add one more mid-year enrollee who would count against the 2009 class. The Tigers have 22 other commitments for 2010. They can sign up to 28 in February.

Quick hits

Chizik said he’s set up practice in Tampa to closely resemble a normal week. The team will have four practice days and a walkthrough once it arrives. … The players aren’t the only ones getting a break this week. Chizik said the coaches will work some today and Wednesday before taking the 24th and 25th off.