Georgia OLB Cornelius Washington suspended after DUI arrest

(Updated 3:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m.)

Georgia linebacker Cornelius Washington was arrested early Sunday morning on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol after being stopped by police in Commerce for driving 92 miles per hour in a 55-mph zone, according to an incident report obtained by the AJC.

UPDATE: Georgia coach Mark Richt said late this afternoon that Washington, per UGA Athletic Association policy regarding DUI arrests, will be suspended for at least the next two games –  Saturday at Tennessee and Oct. 15 at Vanderbilt. “He’s sick. He feels awful. He knows he let the team down, let his coaches down,” Richt said. Click here for more on this story.

Washington was northbound on U.S. Highway 441, about 20 miles from Athens, when he was pulled over at 1:48 a.m.

“I asked Mr. Washington if he had been drinking and he stated yes but it had been several hours prior,” the arresting Commerce Police Department officer wrote in the incident report. Washington said he had “a couple of shots,” according to the report.

Washington posted a reading of .12 on an alcohol sensor test, according to the report. The legal limit is .08.

He also was asked to perform a series of field sobriety tests, which he failed, according to the report.

Washington, 22, was booked into the Jackson County jail, charged with DUI and speeding. He was later released on $3,500 bond.

There were three passengers in the 2009 Dodge Journey driven by Washington, according to the police report. One, a 20-year-old female, was arrested for underage consumption of alcohol.

Washington’s arrest is the first of a football team member in 2011.

Washington was coming off the best game of his career. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound junior from Hephzibah had two sacks and four tackles in Georgia’s 24-10 win over Mississippi State.  With a team-high 3.5 sacks this season, he would have been counted on heavily against Tennessee, which leads the SEC in passing.

-- By Tim Tucker and Chip Towers