Douglas, a sophomore receiver from Detroit who has been serving an indefinite suspension since being arrested Aug. 19, entered a written plea of guilty in Johnson County Court, an agreement that reduced the charge against him from a Class D felony to an aggravated misdemeanor.
Douglas, 19, who was scheduled to go to trial Monday, was granted a deferred judgment, which means if he abides by certain unspecified conditions for an undisclosed period of time, the guilty plea will be withdrawn and he will avoid sentencing. If he fails to meet expectations, he faces up to two years in prison and between $625 and $6,250 in fines.
The Class D felony charge carried a sentence of up to five years in prison and between $750 and $7,500 in fines.
Staying out of trouble could be difficult for Douglas. While awaiting trial on the credit card fraud charge, he was arrested Oct. 29 for stealing three DVDs from Wal-Mart. He pleaded guilty to that charge and was fined $100. The DVDs were valued at $30.02.
It is unclear at this point what Douglas’ guilty plea will mean for his future with the Iowa football team. Director of athletics Gary Barta was out of the office Tuesday and could not be reached for comment, and the university’s sports information department said coach Kirk Ferentz was out of town Tuesday and would not comment to the media.
Douglas started 11 games as a true freshman in 2006 and led the Hawkeyes with 49 receptions for 654 yards and two touchdowns. The 49 receptions were the most among freshmen nationally. He was listed as the Hawkeyes’ No. 1 receiver entering training camp this fall.
But he and teammate Anthony Bowman were arrested Aug. 19 and charged with unauthorized use of a credit card.
Bowman, 19 and also from Detroit, has been accused of making fraudulent charges with a stolen credit card, also on May 8. He entered a written plea of not guilty Oct. 16 and has a pretrial hearing set for Jan. 17. His trial is scheduled for Jan. 28.
Eleven Iowa football players have been arrested 15 times since April 14.
Two players — Clint Huntrods and Dana Brown — were kicked off the team this fall, Huntrods for a public intoxication charge and Brown after being arrested for domestic assault and twice charged with fifth-degree theft. Three others — Lance Tillison, Ben Evans and Bradley Fletcher — served suspensions after drunken-driving arrests.
Last month, the University of Iowa police announced three football players are being questioned in an investigation of an alleged sexual assault that took place on campus in mid-October. The players have not been named, and the investigation is ongoing.
The Hawkeyes finished off a 6-6 season with a disappointing 28-19 loss to Western Michigan on Nov. 17. Had they won that game, they likely would have landed in Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. Instead, Iowa missed out on a bowl trip for the first time since finishing 3-9 in 2000.
The Hawkeyes open the 2008 season Aug. 30 against Maine at Kinnick Stadium.
Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
Comments
Sweetness34 wrote on Dec 5, 2007 9:47 AM:
" He should not be sent to prison. What he did was wrong, but not worthy of prison. If he violates his agreement, maybe then he should see some prison time. Remember he is a kid. Kids make mistakes. Kids driving around Iowa City under the influence of drugs and alcohol are a greater threat to harming the public. He has shown that he may be guilty of being an idoit, but I don't think we need to turn our back on him. He has an uphill battle, but if he has been going to class and keeping his grades up, then I would be in favor of letting him back on the team. Whether he should play or not needs to be earned. We need to help this kid as a community. We can't just send him packing. "
Steve Robinson wrote on Dec 5, 2007 5:39 AM:
" Further coment to my last one.
I have been a Hawkeye fan 2 days after coming to America from England but what Douglas has done isn't just disgraced himself but the whole Hawkeye Team.
thinking more clearly now, i think he should be ousted out of the Hawkeyes never to play for them again same goes for any other player that breaks the law.
i think Kirk Ferentz is a fantastic coach and he has done a great job this year with the players he has "
Steve Robinson wrote on Dec 4, 2007 7:14 PM:
" He Should be sent to prison "
