UT Police arrest suspended Longhorn safety Gatewood
By Philip Jankowski
10/08/07
Suspended Texas Longhorns safety Tyrell Gatewood was in jail again early Sunday morning, held on three drug charges after the UT Police Department arrested him on campus.
UTPD responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle parked in the loading dock behind Jester East Dormitory just after midnight Sunday morning. Police found Gatewood at the car and located marijuana inside. Gatewood also was in possession of prescription anti-anxiety drug Xanax as well as Imitrex, a pain reliever typically prescribed for acute headaches or migraines, University spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon said.
All three drug charges are Class B misdemeanors carrying the possible penalty of six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Gatewood, a backup safety who saw playing time on special teams, was released from Travis County Jail Sunday afternoon after posting bond.
This is Gatewood's second arrest in less than a month and third run-in with the law as a Longhorn. Austin police arrested the fifth-year senior on Sept. 13 for alleged possession of marijuana and possession of a liquid codeine mixture known as "lein." Texas Coach Mack Brown suspended Gatewood indefinitely after the incident.
True freshman Ben Wells was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia in the September incident, but was not arrested.
Gatewood was one of the Longhorns involved in the 2006 arrests of former Texas football players Tarrell Brown and Aaron Harris for marijuana and gun charges.
Brown was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, a weapon which belonged to Gatewood. The suspension of Brown, who was a starting cornerback at the time, turned out to be a pivotal loss for the Longhorns' defense as they went into a key game against Ohio State in 2006. The Longhorns lost that match-up 24-7.
Gatewood was given the opportunity to return and play for the Longhorns after clearing his legal problems, but with more charges looming, his football tenure at Texas is in jeopardy.
