Monday, February 14, 2011
KNOXVILLE - One Tennessee starting safety temporarily withdrew from school a week ago.
The other ran into some off the field trouble early Sunday morning.
UT coach Derek Dooley suspended starting strong safety Brent Brewer indefinitely pending the results of an investigation following his arrest early Sunday morning on a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault.
According to the Knox County Sheriff's Office, Brewer, after turning himself in Sunday morning, was released after his $1,500 bond was set.
"Without knowing all the facts, any domestic incident warrants a suspension from all team-related activities until a thorough investigation is concluded," Dooley said in a statement.
"We respect everyone's right to the legal process, but also acknowledge a greater standard of conduct associated with the privilege of being a member of the Tennessee football team."
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Brewer signed with Florida State out of Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Ga., in 2006, but chose baseball after the Milwaukee Brewers picked him in the second round of the 2006 draft and played four years in the minor leagues.
After signing with the Vols last May, he spent much of the first part of last season on special teams. With UT's thin secondary depleted further by injuries, Brewer took over the strong safety spot against Alabama, playing opposite Janzen Jackson, who voluntarily withdrew from UT for the spring semester due to ongoing personal reasons last Monday.
Brewer started the season's final six games, finishing with 30 of his tackles. He was slated to hold on to his starting spot entering next month's spring practice as 22-year-old sophomore.
"A lot of those baseball guys, you love them because they're so mature," Dooley said during preseason camp last August. "I think he's going to be a steal for us. He's a great athlete [and] he's instinctive."
The Vols signed eight defensive backs in its 2011 recruiting class, including junior college players Byron Moore and Izauea Lanier.
UT defensive end and former Ooltewah star Jacques Smith was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of simple assault in October following an altercation at a bar and did not miss any games.