Utah wide receiver Darren Carrington II has reached a plea agreement in the DUI case that led to his dismissal from the University of Oregon earlier this summer.
Carrington, 22, appeared in the Eugene, Ore., Municipal Court on Monday on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants and two other traffic offenses, a court official said. If Carrington successfully completes the terms of his yearlong diversion agreement, the misdemeanor DUI charge will be dismissed. He was also ordered to pay a $490 fine.
The Oregonian was first to report the plea deal.
On Monday, Carrington also pleaded no contest to a charge of making an improper turn and was ordered to pay $175 fine. A charge of careless driving was dismissed.
Carrington, whose transfer to Utah was completed on Monday, will be allowed to complete the primary elements of the program via telephone, the court official said, so he will not have to travel to Oregon to deal with his legal matters.
Carrington was arrested on July 1 in Eugene. Police were called after he hit a pole in a McDonald’s drive-thru and then made an illegal turn while leaving the parking lot, according to an Oregonian report.
The incident, the latest in a string of issues for Carrington at Oregon, led to his dismissal by Ducks coach Willie Taggart and, ultimately, his transfer to Utah. That transfer was made official on Monday. The 6-foot-2 wide receiver was officially ruled eligible to play this season for the Utes on Monday after a Pac-12 committee granted a waiver of the intra-conference transfer penalty.
The wideout has been participating in the Utes’ fall camp but was not at practice on Monday, head coach Kyle Whittingham said, because he was “taking care of some last-minute business.” He was expected back on the practice field this week.
Carrington caught 43 passes for 606 yards and five touchdowns for the Ducks last year. He figures to be a key contributor for the Utes this season.
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