The Florida Gators suffered a tough loss in the Sugar Bowl to Louisville to end the season and now the team is dealing with another tough situation, as offensive lineman Jessamen Dunker was arrested for allegedly stealing a motor scooter.
The incident occurred on Wednesday and according to University of Florida Police Department spokesman Brad Barber, who said that a police officer saw Dunker riding a scooter closely behind a University of Florida maintenance vehicle on Stadium Road, which runs behind Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, shortly before 10 a.m.
According to the report, the cop performed a traffic stop near one of the end zones of the stadium and saw that the scooter did not have a license plate. The officer ran a check on the scooter and was notified that the vehicle was stolen.
"He was observed by one of our police officers riding on a scooter that did not have a tag attached to the scooter," major Brad Barber told 247Sports. "Traffic stop was initiated, and during that stop it was determined that he was driving on a license that had been suspended. He was aware of that. The scooter, in fact, was stolen."
According to CBSSports.com, the Palm Beach Post reports that Dunker told police that he did not steal the scooter, and had purchased it for $600. HERE are the booking details of his arrest.
The arrest came with no issues and Dunker was booked into the Alachua County Jail shortly after noon and charged with third-degree grand theft of a motor vehicle and driving with a suspended license.
Florida spokesman Steve McClain said coach Will Muschamp was aware of Dunker's arrest.
"He is on the road recruiting and will address it when he returns," McClain said.
According to ESPN.com, Muschamp was previously scheduled to meet with the media at noon on Friday.
Dunker was charged with grand theft auto, which is a third-degree felony, while the traffic violation is a second-degree misdemeanor. This is not the first run-in with the law for Dunker or the Gators team under Muschamp. According to ESPN.com, Muschamp has had 15 arrests since arriving in Gainesville and the sixth in the past year. Dunker is the 12th Gators player to be arrested or cited by police since January 2011.
Dunker did not play this season and redshirted as a freshman, but he was expected to be a major contributor in the 2013 season. Muschamp likely will need to use Dunker as an example and it is likely he will lose his spot on the team. Dunker previously was cited on Nov. 19, 2012 for failing to wear a seat belt.
The Gators dealt with arrest issues under Urban Meyer and Muschamp will not want to repeat the same situation. Earlier in 2012 another incident occurred that saw tight end A.C. Leonard arrested for simple domestic battery, after which he was suspended from the team.
Meyer had a number players get arrested during his run with the school, including Chris Rainey, Matt Elam, Solomon Patton, Carlos Dunlap and Jenoris Jenkins, among others.
Dunker came out of Boynton Beach High School and was a four-star recruit at left guard. Dunker has size and ability at 6-foot-4, 301-pounds and was ranked fifth by Yahoo Sports at his position. He was supposed to be the second-string right guard, but Muschamp decided to redshirt him instead.
Earlier in the season, the coach was quoted by the Palm Beach Post saying: "Just because they are not on the two-deep, it doesn't mean they are not going to play in the game," Muschamp said. "There are some guys that maybe have a larger role offensively or defensively than maybe what's being put on paper."
Dunker was well-known by the other players on the roster and was expected to help a unit that struggled in 2011.
"He's just one of those guys, you know he's an O-lineman," starting right tackle Chaz Green said of Dunker to the Palm Beach Post. "He's nasty. He likes to get after it. He's just a competitor, (he) doesn't like to lose."
The Gators started off the season with seven straight wins before losing to No. 10-ranked Georgia, giving the Bulldogs the edge in the SEC. The Gators ended the year with four straight wins, but it was Georgia who got the chance in the conference title game due to the earlier loss.
Florida saw itself as one of the top teams in the nation, but was defeated in the Sugar Bowl by an arguably weaker Louisville team that was tied for first place in the Big East. The Gators ranked fifth in defensive scoring this season, but were only ranked 118th in passing with 146 yards per game.
The offensive line was better this season than in 2011 and helped the running game rank 39th in the nation. The offense scored 26 points per game and will return a number of starters, including quarterback Jeff Driskel and running back Mike Gillislee.
The Gators already will be a bit weaker after losing two players to transfers after the Sugar Bowl, with sophomore quarterback Jacoby Brissett and sophomore running back Chris Johnson transferring. Brissett competed with Driskel for the starting job during the spring and in football camp and started the first game of the season against Bowling Green. Muschamp said both quarterbacks would play in the game, with Driskel starting at receiver, but eventually Driskel distinguished himself and took over the starting job.
The loss of Johnson will hurt the Gators less, considering they have Gillislee and that he only gained 35 yards on five carries this season. Johnson's biggest impact was on special teams, where he led the team in tackles with 11 in 2012. He did himself no favors in the Sugar Bowl against Louisville, getting ejected after throwing a punch in the second half.
