KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee coach Derek Dooley has dismissed sophomore safety Darren Myles Jr. from the team and indefinitely suspended defensive tackle Marlon Walls and linebacker Greg King in the aftermath of an early-morning bar brawl Friday allegedly involving several Vols players.Myles was one of two Tennessee football players arrested. He was charged with assaulting a UT police officer and resisting and evading arrest. Also, freshman receiver Da'Rick Rogers, one of the Volunteers' most heralded signees in Dooley's first recruiting class, was arrested on disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges.
"It is a privilege, not a right, to be a member of the University of Tennessee football team," Dooley said in a statement. "The most important responsibility of that privilege is to properly represent this institution and our supporters on and off the field. I am disappointed and in many ways embarrassed by the poor judgment displayed on many fronts by several members of our football team last night.
"Although we are still gathering all the facts and some legal proceedings will follow, we have taken some initial levels of discipline resulting from my conversations with the student-athletes who were present."
Rogers, 18, was released on $1,000 bond later Friday morning, and Myles, 19, was released on $2,000 bond. It was not clear if either player had an attorney.
Dooley added, "As I have referenced on many occasions, a change in culture is achieved in time through a combination of education, discipline and support. We will aggressively continue to build on the many positive changes that have occurred over the last five months to ensure our program is represented with class and dignity."
Police are continuing to investigate the brawl that left an off-duty Knoxville police officer unconscious after being kicked repeatedly while he was on the ground.Police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said he anticipates there will be more arrests once police are able to speak with Knoxville Police Department officer Robert Capouellez, who remains in a Knoxville hospital and is undergoing treatment for a head wound.
A second victim, whose name has not been released, also was sent to the hospital and was being treated for multiple injuries.
DeBusk said Capouellez, 24, was hit in the head while trying to break up a fight in Bar Knoxville, which is located on the Cumberland Avenue strip near campus. The fight had spilled outside, and Capouellez was knocked to the ground and kicked more than once before the suspect ran away.
"We've heard that anywhere from seven to 10 people were involved in the incident inside the bar, and we believe the majority of them are associated with the UT football team," DeBusk said.
Police have reached out to Dooley, who was out of town. A school spokeswoman said a statement from the university would be released later Friday.
