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The last thing the Minnesota Golden Gophers needed at this time of the year was trouble off the court.
The thing is, it wasn’t even a player that got in trouble this time. It was assistant coach Saul Smith, the son of Golden Gophers head coach Tubby Smith.
The younger Smith was arrested and charged with a DUI early Saturday morning. He blew a 0.18 on a breathalyzer test after being pulled over for speeding.
For now, Smith has been placed on unpaid administrative leave. He is scheduled to appear in court in December.
The fact that Smith got into this jam in the first place is a little surprising. He is old enough to know that driving under the influence of alcohol is never a good idea. He is lucky no one was hurt or killed because of his actions.
The fact that Smith is on the coaching staff is what makes this whole situation even worse. A coach, be it the head coach or an assistant, is supposed to be someone players on the team can count on to make good decisions and someone they can look up to.
Smith not only let his father down in this instance, but he let the Golden Gophers down. His actions are sure to be an added distraction that Minnesota doesn’t need as it prepares for the season ahead.
It already had to deal with the Trevor Mbakwe drinking and driving incident. Smith’s actions only add fuel to the fire.
What I never seem to understand is why people choose to drive under the influence of alcohol. Look, if someone wants to go out and have fun that is great. But don’t get behind the wheel afterwards.
It’s not worth it. My guess is Smith feels bad about what he did and hopefully he has learned a lesson and will never do it again.
It remains to be seen, though, if he will get a second chance on the Golden Gophers’ coaching staff.
Brian Lester is a featured Big Ten columnist for Rant Sports. He also covers other college basketball topics. You can follow him on Twitter @BLester1993 or send him an email at [email protected].
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