Billy Gillispie Arrested

Billy Gillispie, a former men's basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, has been arrested in Anderson County in Kentucky and charged with a DUI, or driving under the influence. Gillispie and a male passenger were pulled over in a white 2009 Mercedes in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky at around 2:30 in the morning. After he refused a breathalyzer test, police arrested Gillispie and took him to Franklin County Jail. The male passenger was also arrested and charged with alcohol intoxication. Apparently, Billy Gillispie told the police that he and his friend had been golfing...at 2:30 am. Right, Billy. Sure you were.

Surprisingly, (or not) this has not been the first time that Billy Gillispie has been arrested. He was arrested in 1999 and 2003, and in both cases he was charged with a DUI. Gillispie pleaded guilty to the first arrest in Oklahoma and his charges were reduced to reckless driving. He also got away with the second arrest in Texas when an El Paso prosecutor decided there was not enough evidence to determine whether or not Gillispie was drunk. How interesting, considering he had been stopped after driving the wrong way on a one-way street and handed police a credit card when they asked for I.D. Well, now that he is a high-profile, although former, basketball coach, maybe he won't get away with it again. Three strikes you're out, right? Oh wait, that's baseball.

Billy Gillispie's coaching resume doesn't really match up with all these DUI arrests. Before his coaching career at UK from 2007 to 2009, he coached at the University of Texas at El Paso, or UTEP from 2002 to 2004. After that, he coached at Texas A&M, where his team achieved three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time ever. After he managed to lead UTEP and Texas A&M to postseason appearances just one year after poor seasons, Gillispie became the only college basketball coach to be in charge of the NCAA program with the biggest turnaround in two consecutive seasons.

However, Billy Gillispie was fired from his position at Kentucky in March 2009, due to his refusal to sign his contract since he was hired two years prior. In May, Gillispie filed a lawsuit against the University of Kentucky Athletic Association for breach of contract and fraud, seeking the $6 million that he claims the university owes him on the remaining years on the deal. The next day, the university filed a countersuit against Gillispie, seeking a judge's order that the arrangement was not a formal contract.