Former University of Kentucky Basketball Coach Pleads Guilty to DUI Charge
Former University of Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie pleaded guilty Monday to driving under the influence of alcohol. The August 27th arrest was at least the third time Gillispie has been accused of driving under the influence, but this was the first resulting in a plea of guilty to DUI.
The Associated Press reports that Gillispie accepted a plea bargain, which included fines and court costs of more than $1,000, a 30-day suspension of his driver’s license, and an agreement to complete an Alcohol Drivers Education Program.
During the brief hearing, Gillispie gave one-word answers to questions from Judge Linda Armstrong about whether he understood his rights and the consequences of the plea.
"I made a mistake and admitted my mistake today to Judge Armstrong, and I accept the penalty she has imposed," Gillispie said in the statement. "I want to apologize to the people of Kentucky, my family and friends, and I want to thank all of those who have reached out to me over the past several months with kind words of encouragement and support."
Anderson County Attorney Bobbi Jo Lewis declined to comment after the hearing, instead issuing a statement in which she called the penalty "fair and equitable."
"Mr. Gillispie has been treated the same as any other person who appears before the Anderson District Court charged as he was—no better and no worse," Lewis said.
Gillispie’s plea came the same day his successor, John Calipari, was preparing to lead the No. 4 Wildcats in their season-opening exhibition game against Campbellsville.
Gillispie was fired this year after a rocky two-year tenure with the Wildcats. He was arrested Aug. 27th in Lawrenceburg and charged with DUI after refusing sobriety tests during a traffic stop in which officers said they smelled alcohol on his breath.
His attorney, William Patrick, had said previously that Gillispie checked himself into the John Lucas Athletes After Care Program in Texas for alcohol rehabilitation, but it was unclear how long he spent there.
In 1999, Gillispie was arrested on two charges: driving while intoxicated and improper use of a lane in Tulsa, Okla., where he was an assistant coach under Bill Self.
He eventually pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving. The other charges were dismissed.
In 2003, in his first year as head coach at the University of Texas-El Paso, he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. The charges were eventually dismissed after a specially appointed prosecutor decided that there was not enough evidence to suggest that Gillispie was drunk. The coach, then 43, maintained his innocence through that process.
Gillispie addressed his mistakes during his introductory press conference at Kentucky in April 2007, saying “I’m not proud of some of things that I’ve done."
