Probe Finds Florida Football Players Racking up Tickets

Before a loss to Alabama on Dec. 5, the Florida Gators were racing to a national football title.

Literally.

Florida has had well-publicized arrests in recent months stemming from traffic charges including Carlos Dunlap’s DUI charge on Dec. 1 — but those incidents are a small fraction of a teamwide 251 traffic citations in Alachua County, according to Orlando Sentinel research.

These charges range from speeding tickets to numerous cases of driving with a suspended or revoked license, typically a second-degree misdemeanor or, for repeat offenders, a felony.

The data was compiled in late November and early December through Alachua County court records, accounting for 96 Gators who either entered fall camp on scholarship or served in the “game participation” portion of this season’s box scores. Charges stem from 2006-09 for football players who usually drive cars or motorized scooters around campus or in Gainesville.

Depending on the source, some in the legal world consider any traffic misdemeanor or felony charge a technical arrest. The Gators have 21 such charges, mostly from getting caught with a suspended license. Most charges don’t result in jail booking.

Thirty-two of the team’s citations were listed as “open” or “undisposed” in the Alachua County system at the time of this search, meaning they are unpaid or unresolved.

Many Gators obey the laws of the road. Thirty-two players — yes, including Tim Tebow — never have received a documented traffic ticket in Alachua County. Eleven of the 32 are from the 2009 signing class and have been on campus less than a year.

But 12 different Gators have seven or more tickets, including team leader Jermaine Cunningham, an All-Southeastern Conference defensive end who has almost as many career tickets (14) as sacks (18).

The list includes cornerback Markihe Anderson (11), offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert (11), offensive lineman Corey Hobbs (11), safety Dorian Munroe (11), defensive back Miguel Carodine (11), linebacker Dustin Doe (9), offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey (7), All-America linebacker Brandon Spikes (7) and three starting defensive linemen — Lawrence Marsh (7), Terron Sanders (7) and Jaye Howard (7).

Two players, Carodine and freshman quarterback Jordan Reed, have received a criminal charge for driving while never owning a license.

Dunlap, who fell asleep at the wheel at a Gainesville intersection four days before the SEC Championship Game, has the only DUI charge among the Gators.

The cases of Cunningham, who avoided arrest, and Doe, who was arrested in July for driving with a suspended license, resemble a tale State Attorney Bill Cervone knows too well.

Someone accumulates too many tickets, possibly doesn’t pay them and eventually gets assessed a charge of “unknowingly” driving with a suspended license. That charge classifies as a routine criminal or civil traffic citation, but the second time around would elevate to “knowingly” driving without a valid license.

Cunningham caught the suspended license charge in Jan. 28, 2008, and the case has been resolved along with all his previous citations. Doe has only nine total tickets, but four are criminal charges and three are still classified as “open” until he fulfills stipulations such as community service stemming from his summer arrest.

Carodine was arrested in April 2009 for a felony charge of habitual driving with a suspended license, according to jail records. Former Gators defensive tackle Torrey Davis was arrested for similar charges shortly after leaving the team in March.

A license can be suspended after failure to pay tickets or accumulating too many driving points during a certain time period.

Florida isn’t the only football program with this problem. Three University of Georgia players were arrested for traffic-related charges during the 2009 season.

“The irresponsibility can catch up to you,” Cervone said. “Somebody like Doe is far more likely to get caught repeatedly. He’s so visible, he’s driving in a small, little location and UPD (University Police Department) knows who Doe is — not just because they are athletes, but they’re issued tickets while driving the same roads every day to the same cops.”

The number of tickets per college student is not precisely known, but research indicates UF football players get pulled over at least twice the average amount for college-age males in the county.

Florida players average 2.61 tickets per player, ranging from freshman to fifth-year senior. If the 16-member 2009 signing class is removed from the data, the Gators average three tickets per player. Alachua County issued approximately 13,350 criminal or routine traffic tickets to 18-to 24-year-old males from Jan. 1 to Dec. 1 of 2009, according to the county’s clerk of the court.

The state’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research says there are 28,144 males in Alachua County between the age of 18 to 24, which averages out to 0.474 traffic tickets per person for 2009 or 1.29 tickets per 2.5 years, the approximate length of time a current UF football player has been part of the team.

The generally poor driving habits of college-aged males are unavoidable. In 2009, Alachua County has issued 19 percent of its 70,391 total traffic tickets to 18- to 24-year-old males.

Jeff Holcomb, public information officer for University Police Department, estimates UF students average one or fewer traffic tickets per college career. Most Gainesville-area tickets are issued by UPD, the Gainesville Police Department or the Alachua County Sherriff’s Office.

The courthouse does not regularly track the number of Alachua County drivers with seven or more tickets.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Insurance Information Institute, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and State Farm Insurance’s regional office in Winter Haven were contacted for this story.

Sources for this story are torn on whether Florida football players are targeted more than the average student. Holcomb and GPD spokesman Keith Kameg said every case is handled fairly.

“Our officers will pull students over not knowing who they are,” Holcomb said. “It’s more about the infraction than the target.”

Gainesville-based attorney Huntley Johnson, who represents most Gators athletes in legal matters, said GPD or UPD have been “over the top” with athletes in certain cases.

Johnson recalls a criminal traffic case with wide receiver Riley Cooper, who was charged in February with resisting an officer. Johnson said Cooper was not disrespectful to police when cited.

“Is there some jealousy on the part of police officers? Absolutely,” Johnson said. “Does it overflow into the way they treat their athletes? I think it’s something that can’t be avoided. It would be against human nature for that not to happen.”

Coach Urban Meyer was not available for interviews for this story after a Sentinel request, but UF issued a statement on behalf of the team.

“This is an issue that has been discussed with the team,” spokesman Steve McClain said. “The coaching staff continues to educate our players to do the right thing at all times.”

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