The bags under his eyes said it all.

Damon Evans probably didn’t sleep much prior to his Thursday press conference at the Rankin Smith Student Athlete Academic Center.

And it’s not as if this conference was something Evans had scheduled weeks in advance, either.

No, this all came together quickly in the aftermath of Evans’s arrest in Atlanta late Wednesday on charges of driving under the influence and driving in an improper lane.

RYAN BLACK

In a twist, Thursday was a day that prior to his arrest the Georgia athletic director should have been looking forward to, as his new contract, which would pay him $550,000 per year, was set to kick in.

That contract, and his job itself, are now up in the air.

One resolution to the situation was totally ruled out by Evans – resigning.

“My desire is to keep my job,” he said during the media’s question-and-answer portion of the conference. “I want to be here at the University of Georgia. I love this institution. This is my alma mater. I believe that we have a lot of unfinished business here at the University of Georgia, and I will do everything in my power to be a part of this institution. But at the same time (I will) respect whatever comes my way.”

And though Evans’s fate now may be anyone’s guess, someone who could have shed some light on it would have been University President Michael Adams.

Alas, Adams was not in attendance Thursday because he was on vacation.

In a written statement passed out after the news conference was over, Adams did not tip his hand as to whether

Evans’s job was safe, instead noting his “high regard” for Evans.

Damon Evans speaks to the media Thursday afternoon at the Rankin Smith Center. Photo by WES BLANKENSHIP

“Drinking and driving is a serious matter, and I was extremely disappointed to hear of the arrest,” Adams said. “Certainly this is not an example of the kind of leadership that I expect our senior administrators to set. I have high regard for Damon personally; I care deeply about him and his family and know him to be a man of integrity. He has sincerely apologized to me for the embarrassment this has brought upon the university. I was notified of this matter while away on vacation and will reserve further action pending a full review by staff and legal counsel.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement from Adams.

Perhaps the most riveting revelation to spring from Evans’s arrest is that there was a woman in the car with him, and it was not his wife Kerri.

Instead, it was Courtney Fuhrmann, who – according to her LinkedIn page – is an asset manager for an Atlanta real estate firm and graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2005 with a degree in journalism.

Fuhrmann was arrested along with Evans and charged with disorderly conduct after refusing to stay in the car despite repeated requests from police officers to do so.

When asked about Fuhrmann, Evans said she was “just a friend”.

In simpler, pre-Tiger Woods-era times, that response may have worked.

But not now.

There were no follow-ups about his relationship with Fuhrmann during the question-and-answer session, but the question remains nonetheless–how did Evans become “just friends” with Fuhrmann, who, at 28, is 12 years his junior?

And beyond that, how long has he known the Atlanta native?

I’m certainly not a top-notch police investigator, but I find it hard to believe that Evans would be out with a woman late-night drinking if she was only a friend.

You have to think more details will eventually emerge regarding the Fuhrmann-factor of Evans’s arrest in the coming days and weeks.

But the Fuhrmann issue is not the only potential headache Evans will have to deal with in the fallout from his arrest.
Two Evans-related items have now became infamous– his eyes-closed mugshot taken at the Atlanta city jail, and the anti-DUI video he taped that was played at all home football games this past season.

Don’t think that fact is lost on University students.

“I think it’s pretty ironic since they show that anti-DUI video with him in it on the JumboTron at every football game,” said rising senior David McHugh. “I am very disappointed that our athletic director would do something that he tells the students not to do at every football game. I think it sheds a very bad light on our University, and I think he should be punished for his actions.”

“My first reaction was, ‘Really?’, because the person who told me about it is someone I go to football games with, and my friend told me the main thing Evans said at football games was ‘Don’t drink and drive, because if you drink and drive, you lose.’ And that’s why this is so shocking,” said Azubuike Ekwueme, a rising junior who works at the Tate Student Center Information Desk.

Ekwueme was also surprised at Evans’s lack of perspective with regard to his high-profile status.

“Someone as big as he is, with the title he has should be more of a role model to others. It would make him a better role model if this wouldn’t have happened. At the same time, he’s human, and it happens. But for those that it happens to, knowing you’re a celebrity for the most part, you’ve gotta watch the things you do, when you do them, because you’re looked at more (closely) than others are.”

For Evans’s sake, he should hope that Adams and other officials at the University have a shorter memory than those students when they decide whether he will remain the athletic director.

So until that final decision is reached, don’t expect the bags under Evans’s eyes to go away anytime soon.

- Ryan Black is the Red & Black sports editor.