CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — University of Miami special teams player Tremain Mack, who has a long rap sheet, faces a July 12 arraignment in Texas on a bad-check charge, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday.
Mack becomes the 11th Miami football player to run afoul of the law in the past month. Of those players, five have been suspended and two kicked out of school.
Conversely, six players from last year’s Gophers squad have been either dismissed or suspended since May 1.
A Hurricanes spokesman told The Associated Press there are no plans to immediately suspend Mack, 21, and confirmed the university knew about some of Mack’s charges.
“Coach (Butch) Davis had meetings with Tremain following the February incident (a disorderly conduct complaint) and he’s satisfied with the outcome of that meeting at this time,” said spokesman Bob Burda.
Mack has been charged five times in the last four years for crimes ranging from criminal trespass to assaulting a police officer, the Herald reported. Mack’s arraignment later this month is set to take place in his hometown of Tyler, Texas, according to the paper.
Mack most recently was arrested Feb. 16 for disorderly intoxication in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. No court date has been set.
Mack’s attorney, Rhea Grossman, didn’t immediately return a telephone message left at her office Wednesday. Mack, who blocked six kicks last season on special teams, is a projected starter at strong safety.
Burda said the university doesn’t check if prospective players have criminal backgrounds before admitting them. The university, Burda said, only does the checks allowed by the NCAA, including discussions with past coaches, high school teachers, relatives and others who know the player.
Davis told the Herald: “Tremain is trying very hard to overcome and change past behavioral problems, some of which I had no idea about. … We stand beside him, but we hold him accountable for his actions.”
Mack’s legal problems include:
ù May 10, 1996: Voluntary surrender to authorities in Tyler after being charged for theft for passing a bad check in 1994.
ù Feb. 16, 1996: Charged with disorderly intoxication after he kicked up a ruckus when asked to leave an unidentified Coconut Grove establishment. Case pending.
ù Oct. 23, 1994: Charged with battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and driving under the influence in northeast Dade County. When asked by an officer to put his hands on the car, Mack struck him. Former coach Dennis Erickson suspended Mack for three weeks. After pleading guilty to intoxication and striking the officer, Mack was sentenced to a year of probation, 20 hours of community service and completed an alcohol treatment program.
ù June 19, 1994: Arrested for allegedly burglarizing a car in Tyler. Charges dismissed.
ù June 6, 1993: Charged with criminal trespass in Tyler. Sentenced to 180 days of probation and fined $200.