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Third UH football player arrested for alleged drunk driving

By Stephen Tsai

POSTED: 11:42 a.m. HST, Jul 07, 2012
LAST UPDATED: 01:34 p.m. HST, Jul 07, 2012

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

This August 17, 2011 file photo shows University of Hawaii punter Alex Dunnachie during a practice at Aloha Stadium.

For the third time in four months, a University of Hawaii football player was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

Punter Alex Dunnachie was arrested at 2:40 this morning at the corner of King and Piikoi streets.

He was released at 4:30 a.m. after posting $500 bail.

Head coach Norm Chow expressed anger and disappointment, but said he would await an inquiry into the matter before commenting.

Backup quarterback Cayman Shutter was arrested on March 28. He pleaded no contest to a DUI charge last month and was ordered to attend a driver's education class and drug-awareness sessions. Chow suspended Shutter for the first four games of the 2012 season.

Backup linebacker Alema Tachibana was arrested for alleged drunk driving on June 16. He is set to appear in District Court on July 16. Chow has said he will not decide on Tachibana's punishment until after the court hearing.

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Poipounder808 wrote:

Coach Chow needs to make an example of these guys and kick them off the team or pull their scholarships.

on July 7,2012 | 12:00PM

niimi wrote:

I think any working employee caught drinking in off hours should be off the "team" the work team. After all, your behavior outside of work hours should be commensurate with the duty on the job. Caught drunk? You're fired! You should be made an example out of it. If the are union members, then revoke their union membership. Unions and employers need to make an example of these guys. Right, Poipounder808?

on July 7,2012 | 12:05PM

CriticalReader wrote:

They would have had to play USC, Nevada and BYU in three of the first four games.

on July 7,2012 | 05:10PM

Manoa2 wrote:

For drunk driving yes I agree-- fire them. Too many people killed by drunk drivers. But just drinking without driving-- that can be OK assuming your drinking is under control.

on July 8,2012 | 12:28AM

Valleyisle57 wrote:

I agree.....once the rest of the team sees he means business and not just a suspension, but pulling their sholorship as well, then watch how the rest fall in line. Time to clean up this mess coach!

on July 7,2012 | 12:06PM

olos73 wrote:

Yes. No learn...

on July 7,2012 | 06:58PM

Opelu wrote:

I wonder how many scholarships as compared to previous years did Chow give out during recruitment ? More or Less ? Total $$$ amount ?

on July 7,2012 | 01:20PM

Classic_59Chevy wrote:

This comment has been deleted.

on July 7,2012 | 02:21PM

OUTRIGGERLUANA wrote:

While they should be punished and punished severely enough to send a message to others. We should not give up on these young men because they, like everyone else, will make mistakes. Although this is a larger and higher profile mistake, I haven't heard about any other problems with either of these young mens, who up to their incidents, have been pretty model student athletes. This is all part of the mentoring/coaching that we offer these men at the University of Hawaii! We "DO NOT" and/or "SHOULD NOT" give up on these young men just because we (or the coaches) gotta put in the work through these growing pains!!!

on July 7,2012 | 04:04PM

ski3779 wrote:

Hey, Coach Chow tried to send a message when he suspended Cayman Shutter, but I guess that message did not work. Two more players were caught driving drunk after that. Time to start kicking players off the team, before someone gets killed. That is hopefully the only message that the players seem to understand.

on July 7,2012 | 08:46PM

slink wrote:

You have to wonder if Coach Chow is having second thoughts. What is it with these guys? They are being handed a free college education - something that thousands of their co-students would cherish - and they're risking it all. My former college coach lamented, before retiring, that the so-called student-athletes of today ask what the school can offer them rather than what they can offer the school as a student-athlete. Sad.

on July 7,2012 | 12:35PM

Bumby wrote:

Seems like someone is behind this, following UH football players when they go out and drink. The percentage is quite high. About 3 out of a 100 players? Not condoning such behavior. Put a tail on any group of people and your results will climb. Interesting in all the years and now this spike. I don't buy that past athletes were not drinking 5, 10, 20 or more years ago. Something is going on here.

on July 7,2012 | 12:37PM

tigerwarrior wrote:

I'm not condoning drinking and driving by any stretch. Just the fact that these players were caught doesn't in any way justify their irresponsible behavior. That being said--the percentage of UH football players arrested for DUI is disproportionately higher than probably any other demographic group in society. You may have a point that If you were to spy on anyone 24/7/365--they are bound to make a mistake eventually--and it would be all too convenient to be there when they slip.

on July 7,2012 | 01:09PM

Manoa2 wrote:

How about all the actors and actresses and crew for Lost and Hawaii 5-0 who have been caught for DUI?

on July 8,2012 | 12:35AM

heluhelu wrote:

Something's not clicking, that's for sure. Either btw coaches and players or team and community -- especially HPD. Makes me wonder if certain channels btw the team and HPD dissolved during the changeover, channels that may have been built by coaches or staff who weren't retained. It's a facet of housekeeping new head coaches aren't always aware of when they plan their programs. A little outreach goes a long way.

on July 7,2012 | 05:01PM

PCWarrior wrote:

There are roughly 100 players on the team. That's a lot of tails for the police to have. You so crazy. But even if cops was tailing these guys, they the ones still drinking and getting behind the wheel/

on July 7,2012 | 05:20PM

Manoa2 wrote:

It is the opposite. I spoke to a police officer I know who said in the last few weeks, officers stopped three other UH football players. One they let go when he agreed to let a non drinking passenger drive home. The other two were caught close to their homes and officers let them go to drive straight home.

on July 8,2012 | 12:33AM

Bumby wrote:

Are the enemies of UH concerned that Chow may bring the football team to be a contender in years to come. Someone trying to undermine the program?

on July 7,2012 | 12:39PM

jkjones wrote:

the only ones that are undermining the UH football program are the players that drink and drive. Conspiracy? What hogwash. These players must be held accountable. Otherwise, some innocent individual will pay. Bumby, may be you would prefer to wait until an accident happens and someone is killed or injured. Would that end your ridiculous conspiracy theory? HPD is protecting the public. As well they should.

on July 7,2012 | 02:14PM

joewilly wrote:

times have changed. the police are more diligent in DUI enforcement now then they ever were before. there is no conspiracy, just more stupid people.

on July 7,2012 | 02:52PM

wsato wrote:

yeah, their names are bud and miller

on July 7,2012 | 04:25PM

willman wrote:

Makes you wonder about the character of these players. I wonder how deep seated this problem is with the entire team. I agree with previous comments about pulling scholarships and see what happens.

on July 7,2012 | 12:42PM

MightyMakiki wrote:

Here here. Coach Chow has to step in and make a real effort to put his foot down

on July 7,2012 | 01:02PM

Grimbold wrote:

PLAYING FOOTBALL IS BAD FOR THE CHARACTER, it is too violent and brutish.

on July 7,2012 | 11:21PM

Eradication wrote:

Sad. This punter is a serious pro prospect. Oh well, guess he blew it...time to look for another punter.

on July 7,2012 | 02:24PM

Maneki_Neko wrote:

Norm doesn't seem to have a very good grip on his team.

on July 7,2012 | 02:28PM

cunfuzd4 wrote:

Maybe the expectations he set for this team is too high. That can be tough...especially if you're not used to having such high expectations placed on you.

on July 7,2012 | 03:43PM

Ambergris23 wrote:

@cunfuzd4:The expectation of not drinking & driving? The parents should have taught them that one. Sad for all the bad publicity these "athletes" are giving the program. I agree that if found guilty, they should lose their scholarships.

on July 7,2012 | 04:10PM

Maneki_Neko wrote:

Exactly. How high are expectations like "hey guys, try stay sober" but if no can, "don't drive drunk". That's setting the expectations bar pretty low.

on July 7,2012 | 07:06PM

false wrote:

False2: He's been on the job less than 6 months, give him a break. These players are making errors in judgement. They know what happened to Schutter and they still do stupid things. This ain't on the coaching staff, this is on the players.

on July 7,2012 | 06:00PM

olos73 wrote:

Yes, players fault all the way. How many other student athletes from all the other sports have been caught DUI? They think just because they're on the FOOTBALL team, they can get away with it.

on July 7,2012 | 07:03PM

akuman808 wrote:

Basic rule, you get caught with a DUI you're automatically kicked off the team and expelled from the school. No nonsense, no excuses. The 3 who got caught showed a lack of commitment to the team the university. The last 2 are real idiots coming after the 1st got caught.

on July 7,2012 | 03:11PM

cunfuzd4 wrote:

I think they're just having trouble dealing with the expectations being placed on them by their coach and the community. Performance anxiety??? Stress makes you do odd things.

on July 7,2012 | 03:41PM

Eradication wrote:

I agree as long as it applies to every scholarship student attending UH.

on July 7,2012 | 11:26PM

Kawipoo wrote:

Great start to a wonderful losing season.

on July 7,2012 | 03:18PM

drgtherocker wrote:

These young men made mistakes. And they probably were enabled. Athletes, according to sports legend Bill Russell, are treated like pretty girls. Barely post teenager years, it is easy to see how they got 'caught'. I hope that Coach Chow gives all of them a chance to really 'earn' their way back on the team. This is a teachable moment, and it is time for these young men and their teammates to grow up and be adults, responsible adults. Time to really be role models, rather than act like role model wannabe's, handled like starlets, turning out like punks. Really learn from these mistakes. Coach Chow will do the right thing, for the best interest of all concerned.

on July 7,2012 | 03:46PM

WesleySMori wrote:

Touche DRGTHEROCKER!! "TOUCHE"!!!

on July 7,2012 | 04:18PM

BO0o07 wrote:

Was Shutter's punishment too soft or lenient? Apparently alcohol is more important or is a higher priorrity for the DUI players. Playing football and preparing or getting ready for the upcoming football season should be their first and only priority. Punishment for Tachibana and Dunnachie will probably be equal to Shutter's punishment but coach need to have a good heart to heart talk with all players and convince them that future pnishment will be harsher to include immediate suspension and loss of scholarship.

on July 7,2012 | 04:26PM

PCWarrior wrote:

He just did that 16 hours before this latest dude got arrested.

on July 7,2012 | 05:22PM

PCWarrior wrote:

Man the boys don't seem to be training do they? Norm Chow discipline. Righto on that one. I woulda kicked the first dude off, made an example of 'em. Then the second guy too. Not the punter tho, we need him. Boys if you going drink, get somebody else to drive. It's really that simple.

on July 7,2012 | 05:08PM

olos73 wrote:

It's "simple" but, they DUMB

on July 7,2012 | 07:05PM

sleepy wrote:

These boys need some Gatorade to quench their thirst before they leave the field.

on July 7,2012 | 05:38PM

tiki886 wrote:

Be nice to these boys. It's not their fault. It's Bush's fault.

on July 7,2012 | 05:44PM

whs1966 wrote:

The way the coaches handle these drinking and related problems will send a message to the players. Let's see how what the message is.

on July 7,2012 | 06:41PM

ski3779 wrote:

That message should have been sent out to the players with the suspension of Cayman Shutter, but guess it was not that strong a message. Time to start kicking players off the team, before they kill someone or themselves. Which would be to late then.

on July 7,2012 | 08:56PM

Oahuan wrote:

Kick these players off the team!!! These are not kids. They're young adults going to college that know the difference between right and wrong. I mean c'mon, three times?!!!

on July 7,2012 | 06:50PM

oldertimer808 wrote:

We all make mistakes and I'm glad no one got hurt. All you people so willing to throw these young men under the bus without knowing their character except for their stupidity should think about how you were at their age. Remember he without sin cast the first stone. I'm sure Coach Chow and the rest of the coaches hurt whenever these kinds of incidents happen and you can be rest assured that young people will make mistakes and non of you are immune to that. Coach Chow will address these issues appropriately without any advise from people who are not in the know.

on July 7,2012 | 06:54PM

olos73 wrote:

You waiting for somebody to get killed before you want Coach Chow to do something? Like I replied earlier, how many OTHER student athletes were caught DUI? Maybe these 3 got hit in the helmets too many times.

on July 7,2012 | 07:08PM

Maneki_Neko wrote:

I'll take a guess here and say if one of those drunk kids had plowed into a family and killed them we would have little sympathy for for the poor little privileged football player. They are supremely lucky nothing horrible came from their reckless disregard for others.

on July 7,2012 | 07:09PM

blackmurano wrote:

After Caymen Shutter was suspended for four games (wow four), I would think Coach Chow would have held a meeting to lay down the rules if these players forgot. But the second Warrior got caught with DUI, Tachibana, now this top rated Warrior kicker Alex Dunnachie. On the blog, someone said a police officer told him that there were three other Warriors with Dui the same night but since they were close to their homes, the officers let them go. Coach Norm Chow gotta end "Mr Nice Guy" and put down the hammer. Coach Dick Tomey was the only and last Hawaii Head football coach that players didn't mess with. He was a tough coach who laid down the rules. . .

on July 7,2012 | 07:52PM

MariaBetty wrote:

I concur with oldertimer808. Back in day it didn't seem so criminal but SADD times have changed and the people are MADD. And . That said punish these players. However as a team support them to change before they fall into a cycle of alcoholism.

on July 7,2012 | 08:47PM

ski3779 wrote:

Coach Chow needs to put an immediate end to all this alcohol and DUI, by his players before it effects recruiting. What parent would want to send their kid to a school that has alot of alcohol and DUI's.

on July 7,2012 | 09:03PM

kensato wrote:

coach chow is a waha nui. when shutter got the dui, he said there would be severe consequences. so what did chow do? suspend cayman for 4 games. a slap on the wrist. when chow said severe, i thought suspension till december 31, 2012. now, see what happens, the players continue to challenge chow. so, what happens to tachibana? 5 game suspension? and alex, 6 games? chow failed to punish shutter to deter stupid behavior. now, the team has no fear of chow. no respect. they will continue to challenge him. i thnik there will be a few more dui players before the season starts. but, how ironic, isn't chow a mormon?? and his players are boozers. i think poipounder808 is spot on. kick them off the team, and pull their scholarship. c'mon chow, don't be a whip. put your foot down, and show the team you mean business. imua.

on July 7,2012 | 09:07PM

nippy68 wrote:

kick'em off the team already. if cannot learn from someones first mistake then send them packing. too close to be partying before the season starts especially when the first game is against USC.

on July 7,2012 | 09:41PM

WarriorFan3 wrote:

Selected, trained, fed, paid, special benefits, free uniform, free equipment, free room and board. For what...sore, tired and pulled muscles, torn ligaments, fractured bones, twisted body parts, PAIN, all kinds of PAIN. For what...to be appreciated then criticized, loved then hated, to have their very livelihood, what they worked long and hard for, threaten to be taken away..said to be unimportant or non-committal, for errors and or mistakes in judgement, that while certainly important and serious; have been committed by others all around them. Stress, pressures, threats (warranted and unwarranted), non-appreciation, and the like can make anyone do stupid and crazy things. No excuse..but possible reasons. Let's find out WHY??? before we judge and further threaten their livelihood, with judgmental and unsolicited opinions, let's find out what is going on with them and what can be done to help, first.

on July 7,2012 | 09:55PM