Highland Park (Texas) High entered the playoffs as one of the favorites to take home the Class 4A state title, but by Saturday evening, the entire season was thrown into doubt after guard David Matthew Allen was arrested Saturday night on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.
As the Dallas Morning News reported, Allen was arrested after his SUV hit a parked BMW and he fled the scene of the accident. According to a police affidavit, a witness followed Allen's car before authorities finally pulled him over.
The affidavit said police "could immediately smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver." Allen not only had alcohol on his breath, he was also swaying and slurring his speech when he exited the vehicle.
Allen blew 0.115 and 0.122 into a breathalyzer, according to the affidavit; the legal limit in Texas is .08. The arrest came on the heels of Highland Park's opening round playoff victory over Carrollton Newman Smith, a game that Allen ended up missing due to suspension.
The 6-foot guard was averaging more than 23 points per game and 5 rebounds, while leading Highland Park to a 27-2 regular season record. According to the Dallas Morning News, if the school follows district rules, Allen would also miss the team's second-round playoff game.
Helen Williams, spokeswoman for the Highland Park Independent school district, confirmed Allen's arrest. She said the district's code of conduct calls for a minimum suspension from play of one week, or 10 percent of the season.
Even though Allen is set to miss a minimum of two games, you have to wonder if there will be some blowback if Highland Park advances to the next round and decides to reinstate their star guard.
Rules state he's only supposed to miss two games, so it's not like the school would be rushing him back. But with the incident occurring so close to the playoffs, you have to believe some people will question the school's decision, assuming they rule Allen is eligible to compete. As of Wednesday morning, Highland Park had not made a final decision.
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