If you’ve been arrested for drunk driving, you may feel as though your life will never be the same. However, the new University of Maryland athletic director is a living testament to the fact that you can indeed rebuild a life, career and reputation damaged by a DUI.
Damon Evans had been the University of Georgia’s athletic director for six years when he was arrested for DUI in 2010. The arrest came literally minutes before his half-million-dollar contract extension was scheduled to go into effect. Instead, he left the university where he’s built a highly successful record less than a week after the arrest. As a first-time DUI offender, he was sentenced to a year’s probation, community service and a fine.
Evans worked in the private sector for the ensuing four years. He then joined Maryland as its chief financial officer and senior associate athletic director. When the school’s athletic director left in October of 2017, Evans became the interim director. He served in that position until this month’s announcement.
The new athletic director doesn’t shy away from that arrest eight years ago. At the press conference announcing his appointment, he said, “I always tell people what happened at Georgia, I’m fully culpable for. There’s no one to blame but me. I opened up with the (search) committee….and I told them that I made a mistake some eight years ago. My fault, but that’s not who I am.”
He acknowledged, “The first days were dark….I hurt people who were dear to me. My wife, my kids, my family.…I said I have to get myself together. I can’t let this define who I am.” It didn’t help matters that a woman who wasn’t his wife was in the car when he was arrested. She was charged with disorderly conduct.
University of Maryland president Dr. Wallace Loh also addressed Evans’ journey back from that night in 2010. He said it “tells me something about his personal qualities of perseverance of striving forward, of never giving up, and I hope that personal story of redemption is also telling us something about the values of the University of Maryland.”
If you’re facing DUI charges, you may also feel that you’re in a “dark” place. However, it’s essential to determine what your legal options are. An experienced Maryland DUI attorney can provide important guidance and perspective as you move through the legal process.
