Iosefa facing possible 3-game suspension for suspected DUI
Based on precedent, University of Hawaii running back Joey Iosefa is expected to face at least a three-game suspension following his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving on Sunday morning.
Iosefa was released after posting a $500 bond. He is scheduled to appear in District Court on Nov. 10.
Head coach Norm Chow and athletic director Ben Jay will announce disciplinary action after they meet on Tuesday morning. On Sunday morning, Chow traveled to Los Angles to be with his wife, who is recovering from a brain aneurysm at the UCLA Medical Center. Chow is scheduled to return to Honolulu on Monday night.
An arrest is a violation of the football team’s rules. Iosefa, a fifth-year senior, will remain on scholarship and be allowed to attend classes.
But past DUI arrests indicate Iosefa is expected to be suspended for three games. In 2012, punter Alex Dunnachie and defensive end Alema Tachibana were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. Both were suspended from the team’s offseason conditioning program.
Dunnachie pleaded guilty to the DUI, and was suspended for the Warriors’ first three games of the 2012 season.
Tachibana entered a not-guilty plea at his July 17, 2012, appearance in District Court. He was held out of games until his case was dismissed on Nov. 23, 2012. By then, he missed 10 of the 12 regular-season games.
Jay acknowledged Iosefa’s situation is different because the arrest occurred during the season.
Iosefa has missed the past five games while recovering from a fracture in his right ankle. Before the arrest, there was a possibility he would have been healthy enough to play in Saturday’s road game against San Diego State.