At a press conference held Thursday evening to address Gary Pinkel‘s arrest last night on a drunk-driving charge, athletic director Mike Alden announced that Pinkel has been suspended without pay and will not coach this weekend’s game against Texas Tech. He will not be permitted to have any contact with his team until Thanksgiving Day next Thursday and will forfeit any bowl bonus he was scheduled to receive for the 2011 season.
His pay has also been frozen for a year, Alden said. All told, the arrest will cost Pinkel in the neighborhood of $300,000. In the past three seasons combined, Pinkel has made at least $7.8 million.
From the school’s release on the suspension:
He will, however, be permitted to coach the Tigers in MU’s regular-season finale, essentially making this a one-game suspension. In August of last year, two Mizzou players were arrested and charged with DWI; they were both suspended by Pinkel for the first two games of the 2010 season.
“After having had a chance to review all of the facts involved with this situation, we feel that this is the appropriate course of action,” Alden said in a statement. “Gary is very remorseful for his lapse in judgment, and he is in full agreement that he holds himself to a higher standard than what he displayed last night.”
“As I said previously, I deeply regret the negative attention this has brought to the University of Missouri, and I offer my sincere apology to everyone associated with this institution,” Pinkel said. “I recognize that I’ve let everyone down and I fully accept the terms of this suspension. Everyone is held accountable in our program for their actions, and I’m no different. I hope that our fans will be supportive of our team during this time; they will need their encouragement.”
Defensive coordinator Dave Steckel will coach the Tigers against the Red Raiders this weekend as MU attempts to become bowl eligible.