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Kevin McGuff, Ohio State women's basketball coach, charged with drunken driving in Dublin
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- Kevin McGuff, Ohio State women's basketball coach, charged with drunken driving in Dublin
Kevin McGuff, the head coach for the Ohio State University women's basketball team, was arrested on May 6 in a suspected drunken-driving incident after Dublin police found him parked in his own front yard , a police report says.
Dublin police confirmed McGuff's arrest on May 12.
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Police said they arrested McGuff, 55, for operating a vehicle while intoxicated on May 6 on Tara Hill Drive. Police released an incident report on Tuesday, May 13, which says officers found McGuff inside his Toyota Sequoia, which was parked partially in his yard.
Another driver had called Dublin police around 8 p.m. on May 6 to report someone driving a car recklessly, according to the report. That caller said the 2013 Toyota Sequoia had struck several curbs and driven partially through a yard.
The report says that when the first police officer approached McGuff, it took him more than two minutes to open the driver's side door or window. McGuff denied having anything to drink or taking any medications that could cause impairment, according to the report.
Police asked McGuff several questions, including where he had been coming from. The report says that after a 13-second pause, McGuff replied with the name of a restaurant in Dublin, but said he had "eaten dinner" when asked what he ate.
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An officer asked McGuff to perform several field sobriety tests at the scene, including a test where McGuff was asked to recite the alphabet from D to R. The report says the officer had to repeat the instructions to McGuff three times.
Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff was suspended two weeks without pay after an arrest on DUI charges.
"Kevin could only say 'D' and could not recite any other letters," the report says.
McGuff also showed indications of impairment on several other tests, and the report noted the officer smelled alcohol on McGuff when he got out of his vehicle, police said.
The coach refused a breathalyzer test. The report does not indicate whether police requested a search warrant to obtain a sample of McGuff's blood to test his alcohol level.
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Police took McGuff into custody at 8:22 p.m. and charged him with OVI, a first-degree misdemeanor, according to the report. He was released into his wife's custody at 9:31 p.m. Because McGuff refused a breath test, he was automatically given an administrative license suspension.
McGuff is scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, May 13 in Dublin Mayor's Court. The docket says the hearing is related to the driver's license suspension.
The Mayor's Court magistrate can transfer McGuff's case to Franklin County Municipal Court.
The maximum penalty for OVI is 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
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The OSU Department of Athletics said it was aware of McGuff's arrest and was "monitoring the situation closely."
"This is an ongoing, personal legal matter, and the department will share additional information at the appropriate time," said Maria Slovikovski, associate director for communications at the Department of Athletics.
McGuff has winning record during 12 seasons
McGuff joined the Buckeyes from Washington in 2013.
With a 224-109 record across 12 seasons, McGuff has led the Buckeyes to eight NCAA tournaments and four Big Ten regular-season titles. Ohio State won the 2018 Big Ten tournament title under McGuff.
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In 2024, McGuff earned his first Big Ten Coach of the Year honor .
Prior to joining Ohio State, McGuff had 11 years of head coaching experience with Xavier and Washington. Additionally, McGuff coached under Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw at Notre Dame from 1996 to 2002.
(Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct court information and add information from a Dublin police report.)
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com , at ShahidMeighan on X , and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Kevin McGuff charged for drunken driving in Dublin
