July 1, 2005
2 Ole Miss athletes face legal, disciplinary woes
Baseball star Wright, football recruit Bates charged in separate incidents in recent weeks
By Michael Wallace
mwallace@clarionledger.com
OXFORD — Two Ole Miss athletes face disciplinary action following their arrests on drug- and alcohol-related charges.
Ole Miss baseball player Mark Wright was arrested by Oxford police Thursday morning and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Wright's arrest came less than 48 hours after incoming freshman football player Wallace Bates pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lafayette County Justice Court to possession of drug paraphernalia. Bates was arrested close to midnight on June 11 at a Brown Hall campus dorm room by university police.
As part of his plea agreement on the misdemeanor possession charge, Bates, 19, must pay $417 in fines and legal fees, according to Justice Court documents obtained Thursday.
Neither Bates nor Wright, 21, could be reached. Ole Miss football coach Ed Orgeron, baseball coach Mike Bianco and athletic director Pete Boone didn't return messages left on their cell phones.
Wright was arrested and booked into the Lafayette County Detention Center at 1:15 a.m. Thursday and released on bond 45 minutes later, according to jail records. He is scheduled to appear in Oxford Municipal Court on July 13. If convicted of the DUI-first offense, Wright faces up to a $1,000 fine and two days in jail. He could also have his driver's license suspended up to a year and be required to complete an alcohol safety program.
Wright, a sophomore outfielder, batted .311 this season and was third on the team with 13 home runs to go with 51 RBIs.
Bates was part of Orgeron's first signing class in February. Now the 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker from Woodland Hills, Calif., might face disciplinary action from the university before he ever dons a helmet and shoulder pads for the Rebels.
Because Bates was arrested on campus and pleaded guilty to a drug-related charge, he is also subject to the school's judicial process. According to the Ole Miss code of student conduct, the university prohibits the sale, possession and/or distribution of drug paraphernalia (pipes, bongs, roach clips, rolling papers, etc.). A violation could lead to punishment ranging from a warning and community service to expulsion.
Ole Miss dean of students Sparky Reardon is out of town until next week and couldn't be reached, an assistant in his office said.
Bates' arrest is the latest in a string of off-the-field issues involving the football program. At least 10 members of the team, including two assistant coaches, have been arrested in the past 24 months.
The legal troubles for Bates and Wright come at a time when the Southeastern Conference has moved to try to clean up the off-the-field problems that have rocked its programs recently. Ole Miss, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia have all had a string of athletes arrested since 2003.
During the league meetings in early June, the SEC adopted a program called Mentors Violence Prevention, or MVP, aimed at educating its athletes on character development, conflict resolution and conflict avoidance.
The conference has contracted Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sports in Society to go to its campuses and conduct seminars with players starting this fall. At least three more Ole Miss athletes hope to have their legal issues behind them by then.
Two current football players — safety Keith Houston and lineman McKinley Boykin — and former fullback Lorenzo Townsend are scheduled to appear in Oxford courtrooms this month on separate charges. Houston and Townsend face a rape charge and Boykin domestic violence.
