The Florida Gators will be without one of their best defensive players when they face the Alabama Crimson Tide for the SEC Championship, and a trip to the BCS title game, this Saturday.
Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap was arrested for a DUI after police responded to a reckless driving complaint and found the junior in his vehicle stopped at a traffic light early Tuesday morning.
Head coach Urban Meyer announced after the Tuesday evening practice that Dunlap will not play in the SEC Championship and has been suspended from the team indefinitely.
"Carlos obviously made a very poor decision," said Meyer. "I have not spoken to him or his family yet. He's not going to play. But I want to visit with him and his family first and go from there."
Florida is currently a 5.5-point neutral site favorite for Saturday’s game in the Georgia Dome.
Dunlop has 35 tackles on the season including 8.5 tackles for a loss. He is instrumental in the Gators defense, which ranks eighth in rushing yards against with an average of just under 90 yards per game.
Earlier this season, Gators head coach Urban Meyer was criticized for his leniency on senior linebacker Brandon Spikes, who eye-gouged Georgia running back Washaun Ealey. The team originally benched Spikes for half of the Vanderbilt game. After the media jumped on Meyer, Spikes eventually suspended himself for the entire game.