Austin Seferian-Jenkins Suspended Indefinitely

Pending investigation into his arrest for driving under the influence, Washington Huskies star tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been indefinitely suspended, UW head coach Steve Sarkisian announced following Washington’s practice Tuesday night.

After their first practice since Seferian-Jenkins’ single-car accident, Sarkisian said, "We will make the decisions necessary based on our team rules and our school’s policies that are fair to him and fair to us, and we will move forward and we will support him." This was in reference to the consequences post-investigation.

The official student-athlete code of conduct for the University of Washington states that "when a student athlete has been arrested or charged with a violation of criminal law, the student-athlete will be placed on administrative suspension from all team activities pending further investigation." It goes on to state that if the offense is a misdemeanor, the head coach, Sarkisian in this case, could lift the suspension if it is approved by the sport administrator. If it constitutes a felony, however, "the administrative suspension may be lifted only upon the authorization of the Director of Athletics."

Following the incident, Seferian-Jenkins released an official statement by way of UW. It states: "Coach Sarkisian holds our team to high standards on and off the field, and I fell short of those standards this weekend. I apologize for letting down my family, my team and the entire University of Washington community. I will take full responsibility for my actions and work to use this as a learning experience."

At this point it is unclear whether the star tight end is to miss any games, or how long the investigation will last. Washington basketball coach Lorenzo Romar, who coached him last season as a forward for the Dawgs, believes that he will learn from the incident. After referencing that there are approximately 80 student-athletes on football scholarships, Romar said, "I would think that with that many kids every now and then someone is going to make a mistake. I don’t think that’s a bad reflection on their coaching staff." He goes on to talk about how he is behind Seferian-Jenkins, and hopes "he can get over this."

Any talk of what the suspension will/could be is nothing more than speculation at this point, as the investigation is still under way. What is known so far is that Seferian-Jenkins was found in an accident involving no other cars, and no passengers. He was found with a bloody nose, "consistent with hitting his face on the windshield of the crashed vehicle."

A witness reported that the vehicle was driving at a high rate of speed, and that the driver was standing outside the vehicle. The witness report stated the driver, later identified at the UW tight end, had the "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, thick-tongued speech and watery, blood-shot eyes."

Seferian-Jenkins refused a blood-test at the hospital, and asked to see a lawyer. It will probably never come to light how much he actually had to drink. Considering he was involved in an accident driving over a small tree and the sidewalk, he probably had more than the legal limit. For him, the legal limit is .02% BAC, in accordance to the Zero-Tolerance law for minors. The only reason the law is not at 0.00% is because of potential breathalyzer errors.

The best we can do is support ASJ through this time, and hope that he has learned from his mistakes. Don't attack his character, or boo him if you see him in the street. He made a mistake, and will learn from it. If you had asked me who is the least likely player to get a DUI on the University of Washington football team, I would have said, without hesitation, Austin Seferian-Jenkins. This comes as a shock to me, and to the entire fanbase. Support him, as he obviously knows he has made a mistake, and needs it at this time.