Ohio U Football Coach Frank Solich Charged with DUI

[Unassisted]

http://www.nbc4i.com/news/5419216/de...s=col&psp=news

Ohio University Coach Solich Charged With Drunken Driving

Coach Led Bobcats To 4-7 Record In First Season



UPDATED: 2:01 pm EST November 28, 2005
ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University football coach Frank Solich was scheduled to appear in court on Monday after he was charged with drunken driving Saturday.

Details of Solich's arrest were not available, but the university issued a statement on Monday, saying that he was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and violation of one-way traffic."I have visited with Frank, and he deeply regrets that these events occurred," Ohio University athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a statement. "He understands that he is in a leadership position and that it is incumbent upon him to lead by example."The statement went on to read that the university continues to monitor the situation as the legal process goes forward. "I know Frank as a man of impeccable integrity, and I am confident that he will respond to this situation in a positive manner and use these circumstances to better teach others, including his players, the importance of making wise decisions," Hocutt said.

The university is approaching the situation as a personnel matter and Solich will continue to perform his duties as head football coach, according to the statement.

Solich was hired in December 2004 to take over an Ohio University program that had languished at the bottom of the Mid-American Conference the last several seasons.

He was fired by Nebraska after the 2003 season despite a 58-19 record as the successor to Tom Osborne, who retired in 1997 after winning three national championships in his last four seasons.

Ohio University's football season ended on Nov. 21 with a loss to Miami University. The Bobcats ended their season with a 4-7 record, which was highlighted by an upset of Pittsburgh.