FSU suspends strength and conditioning coach Vic Viloria after DUI arrest

Florida State strength and conditioning coach Vic Viloria has been suspended without pay for more than one-third of the Seminoles' season following his Saturday arrest on DUI and property damage charges.

University president John Thrasher suspended Viloria for 30 days, which will cover five games. He can return Oct. 2.

"I have suspended Coach Viloria for more than a third of the football season to send a strong message about the very serious nature of his offense," Thrasher said Thursday. "We have an outstanding athletics program, and fans must know it operates with class and reflects the university's values."

Viloria was arrested early Saturday morning with blood-alcohol levels of .124 and .125. The legal limit is .08.

"I am taking full responsibility for the situation for which I now find myself," Viloria said in a statement released by Tallahassee attorney John Leace on Thursday. "No words can truly express myremorse for the embarrassment I have brought upon my family, the players, the fans, the coaches and Florida State University. This was an isolated incident for which I am prepared to accept the consequences."

Viloria will miss games against No. 11 Ole Miss, Charleston Southern, No. 19 Louisville, South Florida and No. 22 North Carolina. He will be able to return for the Oct. 8 road game at Miami.

In Viloria's written statement to the school, he said he was drinking whiskey with members of a video crew, which is filming "A Season With Florida State Football" for Showtime. He said the crew gave him a bottle of whiskey to celebrate the end of preseason camp and -- at around 10 p.m. Friday -- two or three crew members began drinking in his office.

Viloria said he decided it was inappropriate to drink in the office where they could be seen, so they moved to a "Showtime" trailer.

A spokesman for Showtime said the people drinking with Viloria were not direct employees and are hired through a production agency.

"We are continuing to work with Showtime on their fall series showcasing our talented team, and they have been responsive to our concerns," Thrasher said.

According to the Tallahassee Police report, Viloria was seen "passed out" behind the wheel of his truck at a traffic light. When awakened by a police officer, Viloria claimed he was coming from work where he had consumed "multiple alcoholic drinks" and had "three 'big' drinks" while in his office.

In a letter to Viloria, the university stated his actions were a "gross violation of the University's standards for employee conduct and expectations of your position. ... Your behavior represents a clear and direct contradiction to the University's focus on building character, social responsibility, and strong decision making skills within our student-athletes."

Viloria has the right to appeal to an arbitrator.