CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State defensive tackle Ben Siegert
has pleaded no contest to drunken driving charges in Benton County
Circuit Court.
Siegert entered the plea Thursday before judge Janet Holcomb,
who granted his request that he be sent to a DUI diversion
program.
Siegert must complete alcohol treatment, pay about $600 in costs
and fees, and appear before the Benton County Victim Impact Panel.
If he meets those requirements within one year, the charges
against him will be dismissed.
Siegert, 20, registered a .14 percent blood-alcohol content on a
breath analyzer at the Benton County Jail when he was arrested
March 13, according to the sheriff's office.
Oregon considers drivers with a .08 percent blood alcohol
content to be drunk, but because he was under 21, any amount of
alcohol would have been sufficient to arrest him for driving under
the influence of intoxicants.
A stolen ram from the university's Sheep Center was found in the
back of the pickup Siegert was driving when he was arrested. He was
not charged in connection with the stolen animal.
Two other people in the pickup also were not charged.
It was the latest of several incidents involving the football
team in recent months.
Long snapper Star Paddock and running back Jimtavis Walker last
month were accused of offering to pay their cab fare with marijuana
and then stiffing the driver altogether.
Defensive end Joe Rudulph was suspended in November after he was
arrested for allegedly punching a National Guard soldier during a
bar fight.
In response, Oregon State has launched a comprehensive review of
the athletic department's policies regarding athletes' behavior.
Siegert will participate in spring practices, which started
Wednesday, although he could face further penalties -- including
game suspensions -- as will the others.
"There may be some things pending in the future, but right now
we felt the best thing for them was the structure of practice. Not
to be floating out there in the world," coach Mike Riley said. "I
feel strongly about that. And besides that, I think all of them
have been through a process."