Humphrey booted from team, faces suspension from University

By: Staff and news reports

Posted: 7/1/08

The third time was one too many for Billy Humphrey.

Finding himself in trouble with the law for the third time in less than a year, the junior point guard was booted from the men's basketball team by head coach Dennis Felton Friday. A catalyst for the Bulldogs run to the Southeastern Conference Tournament title, Humphrey must now see if his recent run of arrests will land him in prison.

"I am disappointed in Billy," Felton said in statement released by the University. "We've worked really hard with him in the past to see that he succeeds, but I feel that it's now best for our program to move forward without him."

On June 24, Humphrey was pulled over in Gwinnett County after his Chevy Monte Carlo was seen drifting back and forth between lanes.

Humphrey had a half bottle of Bacardi Rum in his back seat and had "bloodshot and very watery" eyes after being pulled over on Georgia Highway 316. He blew a .082 during the traffic stop, but then a .129 once at the Gwinnett County Jail, the officer's incident report stated.

"Please, please, please I'm begging you not to do this, you will ruin my career," Humphrey told the officer.

Not only is his career as a Bulldog over, but his time at the University could be as well. According to a document from the University's Office of Judicial Programs obtained by The Red & Black, Humphrey's second violation of the alcohol policy means he "will be suspended from UGA per minimum sanctions." The University's policy on alcohol states that minimum sanctions for a second offense while on probation results in "suspension from institution for current semester and 1 subsequent semester (Fall or Spring semester only)." Under those guidelines, Humphrey would be gone for the year.

The document, an informal resolution agreement from the OJP following Humphrey's arrest for underage possession in January, also notes he was required to complete an alcohol education program by June 30. He was placed on probation until February 2009.

Humphrey was arrested in Athens in January and charged with underage possession and failure to obey a traffic device, blowing a .03 at that incident. He was suspended for three games following that incident.

Tuesday's arrest comes on the heels of his arrest and felony charge with possession of a weapon on school property in November. In that incident, University police found a butterfly knife in his East Campus dorm. He was required to perform 80 hours of community service, put on probation for 18 months and told to stay out of trouble.