Early last Saturday morning, Indiana basketball Devin Davis was struck by a vehicle driven by a teammate and sustained a serious head injury. On Monday, Davis was found responsible for the incident even as his health is steadily improving.
Davis was struck by an SUV driven by teammate Emmitt Holt after Holt dropped him off at an IU campus parking early Saturday morning, according to Bloomington Police Department reports. The crash report released by Bloomington Police cites “pedestrian action” and maintains that Davis inexplicably “jumped” into the car’s path.
Both Holt and Davis were under the influence of alcohol, the report states. Holt, who is 18, was cited for underage drinking and driving while under the influence. Davis, 19, has not been cited for drinking.
Davis is currently recovering at the IU Bloomington Health Hospital where his condition continues to improve. According to Dr. Larry Rink, Davis has the use of all extremities and exhibits “normal” speech.
Hoosiers coach Tom Crean has taken action against Holt by suspending the freshman for four games.
"Emmitt made a couple poor choices. It's not about what his blood-alcohol was or wasn't. He's underage. He shouldn't have been drinking and he shouldn't have gotten behind the wheel of a car," Crean said during his weekly radio show on Monday. "Does he have to live with the consequences, that could have happened to anybody? He has to live with that ... and we'll protect him as much as possible, but I'm going to sit him for four games."
For his part, Holt has publicly apologized and acknowledged his wrongdoings.
"Devin is not only a teammate, but a great friend and it pains me to know that I have caused him harm," Holt said via an official statement released by the school. "I sincerely regret my actions, and I understand that I must be held accountable to the high standards that coach Crean and IU have set for all of us. I want to apologize to coach, to my teammates and to the entire IU community for not living up to the expectations that this program and university deserve. I will work hard in the coming days, weeks and months to become a better man and teammate."
The suspension of Holt and injury to Davis come at the same time as an announcement that two other Hoosiers players, Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson have been suspended due to failed drug tests. In addition, returning starter Yogi Ferrell, along with Robinson, were cited in September for underage drinking and possession of false identification. And yet another player, Hanner Mosquera-Perea, was arrested last winter for alleged drunken driving.
Indiana opens its season on November 14 against Mississippi Valley State and will do so now without several of its top players.
Due to these recent events, many Indiana followers are left to question if Crean is capable of running a clean and forthright program. On his radio show Monday, Crean responded to some of those concerns.
“You're more than welcome to put that on me,” He said. “It doesn't change how I want to do things or am trying to do things. That's part of my job and part of my responsibility, and whatever anyone else is feeling fails in comparison to what I am feeling myself."