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Tennessee football center Sam Pendleton, who missed Furman game, charged with DUI | Exclusive
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- Tennessee football center Sam Pendleton, who missed Furman game, charged with DUI | Exclusive
(This story was updated to include new information.)
Tennessee football center Sam Pendleton was arrested in May on charges of driving under the influence, according to a Knoxville police report obtained by Knox News, resulting in his suspension for the Vols ' season-opening game against Furman.
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Police said Pendleton, 21, lost control of his SUV on Interstate 40 and ended up off the highway. He appeared unsteady on his feet, failed a field sobriety test and smelled of alcohol, the police report said.
Pendleton's court date is set for Nov. 23. He faces a first offense charge of DUI.
A Tennessee football spokeperson confirmed to Knox News that Pendleton was suspended for the Vols' first game, a 56-9 win over Furman on Sept. 6.
"We were made aware of the incident shortly after it occurred," UT said in a statement on Sept. 8. "He was suspended from Saturday's game for a violation of team rules."
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Pendleton's attorney, T. Scott Jones, also provided a statement to Knox News.
"Mr. Pendleton maintains his innocence and looks forward to addressing this matter in court," Jones said. "It is an interesting fact pattern, and I strongly suggest that everyone wait before manifesting any judgment."
What Josh Heupel said about Sam Pendleton not playing vs. Furman
Pendleton is a native of Lawsonville, North Carolina, who transferred from Notre Dame to Tennessee in 2025. He started all 13 games for Tennessee last season. But he did not play in the 2026 opener against Furman. Sophomore Nic Moore, a former Jefferson County standout, made his first career start at center.
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UT's radio broadcast reported Pendleton was unavailable for the game.
After the game, coach Josh Heupel gave a vague answer when asked to update Pendleton's status. He did not acknowledge that Pendleton was injured. But he said the decision was made during warm-ups for Pendleton to not play.
"Yeah. Just went through warm ups and ultimately made a decision," Heupel said on Sept. 6 when asked about Pendleton's status after the game. "Expect him to be ready to go next week."
No. 18 Tennessee (1-0) plays Georgia Tech (0-1) on Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
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What police said Sam Pendleton did to be charged with DUI
The police report said Pendleton was driving a Toyota Sequoia SR5 on Interstate 40 on May 24, when he lost control of the vehicle.
A Tennessee Highway Patrolman was called to the scene near mile marker 396. Pendleton identified himself as the sole occupant of the vehicle and presented a valid Tennessee driver's license.
The trooper observed that Pendleton was unable to balance properly and misidentified where he was on the interstate. Pendleton said he was heading eastbound at mile marker 388 but instead was located at mile marker 396, according to the report.
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Pendleton told the trooper that his vehicle hydroplaned. He lost control of it, and the SUV settled near the tree line. The vehicle did contact any other vehicles or objects.
The trooper reported that Pendleton had two alcoholic containers in the driver's side doorjam – a Four Loko Sour Blue Razz Pregame (13.9% alcohol content) and Johnny Bootlegger Ice Lemonade (12% alcohol content).
Pendleton told the trooper he had not been drinking, the report said. But the trooper observed that his eyes were glassy, watery and bloodshot, and he detected an odor of alcohol from Pendleton.
Pendleton agreed to take a field sobriety test. The trooper said Pendleton was unsteady on his feet at the starting position of the test, and that he performed poorly on all three stages of the test.
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Pendleton agreed to provide a voluntary sample of his blood for chemical testing, but the results were not included in the arrest report. He was placed under arrest, charged with DUI and taken to the Knox County jail.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football center Sam Pendleton, who missed Furman game, charged with DUI | Exclusive
