Illini guard suspended and charged with DUI
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Illinois senior guard Rich McBride has been charged with driving under the influence and will be suspended from the team indefinitely, school officials said Monday.
The 21-year-old McBride was arrested and charged Friday with DUI and improper traffic lane usage in Savoy, a town just south of Champaign.
Coach Bruce Weber said in a statement that the 6-foot-3 McBride, who started all 33 games for Illinois last season, will be suspended for an undetermined number of games.
"I am extremely disappointed in Rich's actions last week," Weber said. "We are continuing to review the situation and there will be severe penalties forthcoming."
In a statement of his own, McBride apologized to "my family, teammates, coaches and the university community for the negative light I have brought to our program."
"I realize this is a serious situation. ... I'm being counted on as a leader, and I have let my teammates down," he said.
McBride averaged 10 points a game in 2005-06, scoring a season-high 21 points against Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 30.
He is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 30.
A first-offense DUI conviction in Illinois results in a minimum one-year license revocation and carries a sentence of up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Practice officially begins Oct. 13.
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