ASU senior punter Trevor Hankins issued an apology Tuesday for a DUI arrest that caused him to miss last Saturday’s game against Southern California with a suspension.
Hankins did not make the trip to Los Angeles after being arrested in Scottsdale early Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to a police report.
ASU football coach Dennis Erickson expressed uncertainty Monday as to Hankins’ status for Saturday’s home game against No. 7 Stanford but said Tuesday that the suspension was over and Hankins would play.
Hankins, who leads the Pac-10 in punting average and is third in the nation, was pulled over around 1:30 a.m. Friday near North 68th St and East Wilshire Road after a Scottsdale Police officer noticed him make two U-turns and drift into another lane, the report said.
The police report states that Hankins, 22, was arrested on suspicion of “DUI-impaired to the slightest degree” following a blood test.
Hankins explained to police that his two friends in the car had called him for a ride because they were too drunk to drive themselves, the report said. He further explained that he had made the first U-turn because one of his passengers thought he had left his wallet at a convenience store and made the second U-turn when the wallet was found.
Asked if he had been drinking, Hankins told the officer that he had had a two or three drinks about half an hour earlier at a friend’s house, the report said.
An emotional Hankins made a statement to the media Tuesday, apologizing for the incident, but offered no further details and did not take questions.
“I would like to extend my most sincere apologies to my teammates, my family, my coaches and all the ASU staff, alumni and students for what happened in violating the team policy and not being able to perform Saturday against USC,” Hankins said. “I really think it is a privilege to be an Arizona State University athlete and I will conduct myself as such.”
Hankins’ suspension was announced before Saturday’s game in Los Angeles, an eventual 34-33 loss. With Hankins out, redshirt senior kicker Thomas Weber assumed punting duties and sophomore quarterback Brock Osweiler held for field goal attempts.
Weber averaged 36.2 yards per punt on six kicks in the game, had one punt blocked and another tipped. Hankins is currently averaging 47.1 yards per punt.
Hankins is the third ASU football player arrested this season. In October, freshman defensive tackle Lee Adams and freshman offensive tackle Jamil Douglas were arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary and suspended indefinitely.
State Press reporter Andrew Gruman contributed to this report.
Reach the reporter at tyler.lockman@asu.edu
