BYU junior-to-be Jamaal Williams pled not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of underage drinking last month after being arrested Feb. 16.
The 18-year-old versatile running back from Fontana, Calif., will have his hearing on May 7 and is being represented by Aaron Wise, an attorney out of Spanish Fork.
Williams was a passenger in a car that was pulled over by Utah law enforcement at 2 a.m. Feb. 16, according to TMZ Sports. The police determined the driver was completely sober, but Williams was cited for underage drinking and released on no bail.
Williams ran for 1,260 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2013 season as part of one of the most explosive running games in the country, which featured two players to rush for more than 1,000 yards in the same season, along with quarterback Taysom Hill.
While the hearing is still more than a month away, Williams may also face disciplinary action from head coach Bronco Mendenhall or the BYU athletic department for breaking the honor code and other team rules. Linebacker Spencer Hadley was suspended for three games, and wide receiver Cody Hoffman was suspended for one game last year after not adhering to certain rules and standards.
BYU has had several notable instances during the last few years of athletes violating the school’s strict honor code, most notoriously, forward Brandon Davies during the 2010–2011 season and Hadley’s incident last year.
In February, the university announced it will no longer disclose honor code violations of athletes to the media.
