Penn State wide receiver James McDonald was issued a DUI at about 2:30 a.m. July 9 in the parking lot of the Nittany Lion Inn, according to court documents.
McDonald, a reserve who has seen little significant playing time, was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center where blood tests revealed a .096 blood-alcohol content (BAC), according to court documents.
The 22-year-old was also charged with driving an unregistered vehicle, according to the affidavit.
The car's registration expired last month, and McDonald, 339 Toftrees Ave., told police the car belonged to a family member, according to the criminal complaint filed Monday.
Many of the team's coaches are on vacation and therefore the incident may not be reviewed until the staff can meet, said Penn State sports information director Jeff Nelson.
Nelson had no further comment regarding the situation.
Police say McDonald was pulled over at the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave., after he was spotted driving a black SUV westbound on the 200 block of West College Ave., nearing the Burrowes Street intersection.
The football player was pulled over because he was driving a vehicle with expired registration, police said.
While talking to McDonald about his registration, police smelled "a strong odor" of alcohol coming from the car, according to court documents.
McDonald failed standard field sobriety tests and was taken to the hospital for blood tests, according to the affidavit.
In April 2007, McDonald was suspended from the team for undisclosed reasons.
"He's a great kid. I'm surprised," said
McDonald's high school football coach, Craig Jefferies, when he heard about the DUI.
"He's still a kid, and kids make mistakes. I wouldn't expect anything of this nature to happen from James."
A fifth-year senior, McDonald has played sparingly in the Penn State offense in his career, catching seven passes for 90 yards.
Jefferies, who last spoke to McDonald last winter, said the wide receiver was known for his work ethic when he played at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C.
"We have a lot of great kids come out of Dunbar, and I'd rank him as one of the top guys in terms of character," said Jefferies, who has coached at Dunbar for about 23 years.
"He's only had great things to say about coach [Joe] Paterno and the program."
Collegian Staff Writer Nate Mink contributed to this story.
