Notre Dame's Floyd Pleads Not Guilty To DUI Charge
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Suspended Notre Dame star wide receiver Michael Floyd hopes to have a plea deal in place on his misdemeanor drunken driving charge before his next court appearance in June, his attorney said Monday.
Magistrate Brian Steinke entered a not guilty plea on Floyd's behalf early Monday. Floyd was not present and a status hearing was scheduled for June 7.
"I suspect we'll come up with a resolution. At the present time I don't anticipate this is going to be set for trial," attorney William Stanley said.
Authorities say Floyd was arrested at 3:18 a.m. March 20 after running a stop sign a block from the school's main entrance. Prosecutors say a breathalyzer test showed Floyd had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, more than double Indiana's legal limit for driving. If found guilty of the Class A misdemeanor, Floyd faces a maximum sentence of a year in jail.
Coach Brian Kelly suspended Floyd after his arrest and said it would not be lifted until Floyd changes his behavior and both the legal and university discipline procedures ran their course. Kelly had no comment on Monday's hearing other than to say he remains a suspended member of the football team, said Brian Hardin, Notre Dame's director of football media relations.
Stanley said he doesn't know what it will take for Floyd to be reinstated on the football team, but said it was good that the school's disciplinary panel allowed him to stay in school.
"He's doing very well. He's addressing all those issues. It was good getting the administrative matter done. We just want to proceed accordingly and dispose of this as quickly as possible," Stanley said.
The 21-year-old Floyd was twice cited in his home state of Minnesota for underage consumption of alcohol, in 2009 and 2010.
Floyd announced in January that he was returning for his senior season instead of entering last week's NFL draft. Floyd was Notre Dame's leading receiver last season. He holds the school record for touchdown catches (28) and ranks second in school history in catches (171) and third in receiving yards (2,539).
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