A BYU football player pleaded guilty to impaired driving on Monday, a month-and-a-half after he was arrested on the Provo campus.
Neil Pau’u, 24, pleaded guilty to the Class B misdemeanor, which had been amended from the original misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence, according to court records.
Pau’u was arrested by a BYU police officer just after midnight on June 8 after he allegedly attempted to drive through a barricaded road near the Smith Fieldhouse.
The receiver was sentenced to 180 days in jail — all but two days were suspended — and 12 months of probation. Pau'u was also fined $1,000
A second misdemeanor charge — interfering with signs and signals — was dismissed.
According to a police report, Pau was arrested after he ran over “the candle sticks and yellow tape that were used to close the road for road repair,” and the BYU Police officer smelled “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle.” A blood test showed Pau’u had a blood alcohol content of 0.147, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.05.
Pau'u played in 13 games for the Cougars in 2018, starting in three. He was listed as a second-string receiver for 2019.
Other than acknowledging that it is aware of the situation, BYU has not commented on Pau’s status with the school or the team.
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