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Saban: Da'Shawn Hand won't be suspended for DUI arrest if he does what Alabama requires including police ride-around and community service.
— John Zenor (@jzenor) August 3, 2017
Saban on Da'Shawn Hand: He put himself in a bad situation, but the fact that he didn't drive the car ... He did not put other people at risk
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) August 3, 2017
Projected Alabama starting defensive end Da’Shawn Hand was arrested on July 31 for driving under the influence. One important detail: He was not actually driving at the time:
Hand was asleep in his parked car and not driving at the time of arrest, the Tuscaloosa News has learned.
The University of Alabama defensive lineman was arrested early Saturday morning for driving under the influence and held on a $1,000 bond.
According to Alabama state law, Hand was deemed to be in “constructive possession” of the vehicle, and although he wasn’t driving and the vehicle was parked, the keys being in the car was the determinant that triggered the arrest.
Hand was parked in a near-campus parking lot, sitting in the driver’s seat with the headlights on and the vehicle cranked, but was asleep with the car in park. The arresting officer found Hand at 4:30 a.m. at the 1100 block of University Blvd. Bars in Tuscaloosa close at 2 a.m.
Hand is expected to fill a major role on Alabama’s 2017 line after the usual load of NFL draft departures, including that of star Jonathan Allen. The former five-star enters the season as 2014’s top-rated recruit who’s still in college.
Alabama opens the season against a likely top-five-ranked Florida State in Atlanta.