LEXINGTON — University of Kentucky athletes convicted of drunken driving will not lose their scholarships and will be allowed to practice with their respective teams during a one-year suspension from game competition under a newly revised student-athlete alcohol policy.

        A committee chosen by UK athletics director Larry Ivy — and headed by former athletics director C.M. Newton — recommended the revisions after a six-week analysis of the no-tolerance policy.

NEW POLICY

A look at the newly revised University of Kentucky Athletics Association's zero-tolerance student-alcohol policy:     “Any student-athlete charged with DUI will receive an immediate temporary suspension from competition. The student-athlete will be required to enter and complete an alcohol-counseling program.     “The charge will be immediately investigated by UKAA personnel. If the charge appears to have merit, the temporary suspension will stay in place. If the charge does not appear to have merit, the temporary suspension will be lifted.     “If the student-athlete is convicted of DUI, he/she will be denied the privilege of competing for one full calendar year from the date of the DUI charge. The UK Athletics Department also reserves the right to deny the student-athlete a release to transfer. The student-athlete will be placed on a probationary status for the remainder of his/her athletic career at UK.     “In the event that a student-athlete is charged with public intoxication or underage consumption of alcohol, the student-athlete will be required to enter and complete an alcohol-counseling program. If the incident involves an additional charge, such as injury to persons or property, more severe action may be taken.”

        The policy, established by Mr. Newton two years ago after a deadly automobile crash involving two Kentucky football players, had mandated that a player be suspended temporarily following any alcohol-related incident. If the athlete later was convicted of DUI charges, he or she would be suspended indefinitely and forfeit his or her scholarship.

        The committee encouraged Mr. Ivy to make the following changes:

        • Any student-athlete convicted of DUI will not be required to forfeit his/her scholarship.

        • The UK Athletics Department reserves the right to deny a release to transfer for any student-athlete convicted of DUI.

        • Any student-athlete convicted of DUI will be permitted to continue practicing with his/her team.

        • Any student-athlete convicted of DUI will be denied the privilege of competing for one full calendar year from the date of the DUI charge.

        • Any student-athlete convicted of DUI will be placed on a probationary status for the remainder of his/her athletic career at Kentucky.

        “We are maintaining our zero-tolerance policy,” Mr. Ivy said Thursday during a news conference to announce the revisions. “The punishment is as tough as it was before — the student-athlete loses a year of competition. What we're trying to do is help a student-athlete. If we take him off scholarship and he has to leave school, obviously we can't help him if he's not here.”

        The strict alcohol policy has been invoked several times since being unveiled by Mr. Newton following the November 1998 crash that killed UK football player Artie Steinmetz of Edgewood and Eastern Kentucky University student Christopher Brock.

        Former Kentucky football player Jason Watts, who drove the truck involved in the crash, pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless homicide. He was released on shock probation after serving four months in prison.

        Kentucky basketball player Jules Camara was convicted in October of drunken driving. Mr. Camara was suspended from the team immediately after his September arrest but could return to the team next year or possibly even this year if his conviction is overturned on appeal.

        Last season, sophomore forward Desmond Allison missed the NCAA tournament following his arrest on DUI charges. He pleaded guilty to the charges in June after signing to play at an NAIA school in Tennessee.

        “What we found in cases of high-profile athletes, like Jules Camara, is that the interest from other institutions was amazing,” Mr. Ivy said. “He could have transferred immediately, been on scholarship and practicing at another institution, not had to go through counseling, not had to pay his own way and be eligible to play in a year.”

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