Vanderbilt defensive line coach Vavae Tata will not have a position on the coaching staff after pleading guilty to a drunk driving charge on Wednesday. Tata’s plea agreement absolves him of a count of leaving the scene of an accident.
Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason is expected to fill out his coaching staff over the next week, but according to the Associated Press Tata will no longer be a part of the staff. Mason was holding off until the legal system ran its course with the assistant, who worked under Mason at Stanford. Tata was suspended by Mason on February 18, shortly after the arrest.
Tata was reported having a blood alcohol content of 0.18 percent after tracking him down a few blocks away from the scene of an accident involving two parked cars. According to the report, Tata will lose his driver’s license for a year, and he must serve 48 hours in jail.
This is obviously a tough situation for Tata, who will now have to serve his time and begin redeeming his image. An important lesson can be learned here and perhaps one day he will find himself back on a football sideline coaching somewhere. It just will not eb anywhere too soon.
Photo credit: Vanderbilt Athletics