Former Richmond football coach sentenced to jail

Former University of Richmond football coach Latrell Scott was sentenced to 10 days in jail Thursday morning by a Henrico County judge.

Scott, who was arrested in August for his second DUI in a 5-10 year span, will serve the time on weekends, starting at 8 p.m. Friday. An additional 11 months and 20 days of jail time was suspended for three years, pending future conduct.

Scott, 36, lost his license for three years and pay a $500 fine.

The 10-day sentence was the mandatory minimum for someone arrested for a second DUI in a 5-10 year span. Henrico County Judge John Marshall said he sympathized with Scott, but he had to send him to jail.

"My hands are tied," Marshall told Scott during the hearing. "Legislation decrees a 10 day mandatory sentence for this offense."

Scott, wearing a dark suit, did not speak during the hearing. When walking to the jail, he looked down at the ground and shook his head slightly when asked if he had a comment.

Scott's defense lawyer, W. Joseph Owen, entered a not-guilty plea and had Scott's counselor present to testify about how Scott has accepted responsibility for his action and attended all alcohol rehab sessions. That argument did not affect Marshall's decision.

"The Commonwealth has presented the charge and there's no basis in fact or otherwise to lower the charge," Marshall said.

Scott was arrested late on Aug. 22 and refused a breathalyzer. He resigned the next day, leaving Richmond without a football coach 10 days before the start of the season.

Thursday's adjudicatory hearing was originally scheduled for Sept. 27, but another Henrico judge granted a continuance.

Scott's first arrest for a DUI came in 2004, when he was an assistant coach for the Virginia Military Institute. According to a report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Scott served five days in jail, was fined $500 and lost his license for a year after that arrest.

"We spent a great deal of time during the interview process talking about issues; one of those was that [previous DUI] about what the expectations would be for him for the future," Athletic Director Jim Miller said at a press conference the day of Scott's resignation. "I think it was clearly understood that this was an opportunity for coach Scott and that it was very important that there not be a second occurrence."

In Scott's one year as Richmond's coach, Richmond went 6-5 and missed the playoffs. When he was hired, Scott was the youngest football coach in Division I.

Contact staff writer Andrew Prezioso at andrew.prezioso@richmond.edu