David Reaves Fired From Oregon Following DUI Arrest
USF’s former football assistant David Reaves is off to a not so good start in Oregon. The co-offensive coordinator, who joined the Ducks with Willie Taggart from USF, will be fired after an arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, the school announced Sunday.
The latest problem for new coach Taggart comes not even a week after the school announced Reaves hire last Tuesday. Reaves, 38, was placed on administrative leave and the process to fire him has started then.
Just last week Taggart has a separate problem on his hands as the school suspended football strength and condition coach Irele Oderinde for a month without pay. The suspension was due to an intense workout that sent three players to the hospital. Oderinde had joined the Ducks from USF with Taggart.
According to the Portland Oregonian, Reaves was stopped at 2:12 a.m. Pacific time on Sunday. He was with a passenger in Eugene and police said had committed “multiple traffic violations.”
The officer suspected Reaves was impaired and conducted an investigation that landed Reaves charged and booked at Lane County jail at 5:18 a.m. Reaves posted bail at 9:52 a.m., said the jail records. He is to appear in Eugene Municipal Court on Wednesday.
The Portland Oregonian also reported that the passenger was not identified. Senior associate athletic director Craig Pintens told the Oregonian that no players or recruits were in the car with Reaves.
Reaves is coming off of an outstanding game of play calling in the Bulls’ Birmingham Bowl win on Dec. 29th. Reaves had signed a two-year contract that was worth $300,000 annually. He was to share offensive coordinator duties with offensive line coach Mario Cristobal as well as coach tight ends and would take the title of passing game coordinator.
Reaves has had an impressive coaching career leading up to his hiring at Oregon. He was a starting quarterback at Appalachian State before taking an assistant coaching job at Tampa Catholic in 2001.
He began his collegiate coaching career with the Gamecocks through 2008, in which four of those final years were under Steve Spurrier. He then joined Lane Kiffin at Tennessee in 2009. After undergoing questioning by the NCAA about the use of Tennessee’s hostess program in recruiting Reaves left Tennessee to be the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at New Mexico.
One year later NCAA’s Committee on Infractions ruled that the Tennessee staff committed a dozen secondary violations, but no major infractions.