LAWRENCE, Kan. — University of Kansas men’s assistant basketball coach Joe Dooley has been suspended following an arrest late Saturday night in west Lawrence on suspicion of driving under the influence and fleeing the scene of an accident.
According to Douglas County Jail logs, Dooley was taken into custody at 11:15 p.m. in the 200 block of Running Ridge Road, located in the Fall Creek Farms neighborhood. The charges listed in the booking log include:
- Driving under the influence
- Failure to stop at an accident involving injury or damage exceeding $1,000
- Transporting an open container
Dooley was released on a low-level bond early Sunday morning. The Lawrence Police Department has not yet released further details regarding the specific circumstances of the accident.
University Response and Suspension
In a statement released Sunday, KU head coach Bill Self confirmed the arrest and announced that Dooley would be sidelined immediately.
“We are aware Assistant Coach Joe Dooley was arrested for driving under the influence,” Self said. “Joe exercised poor judgement and will be suspended for three weeks, effective immediately. Joe is remorseful, apologetic and accepts the consequences of his actions.”
Self briefly addressed the situation again during a Sunday afternoon press conference, noting that the incident was still very fresh. “We’ll deal with it, he’ll deal with it. We’ll address it and make the most of it,” Self told reporters.
Background on Dooley’s Tenure
Dooley is currently in the fourth season of his second stint with the Jayhawks and his 14th season overall with the program. He originally served on Self’s staff from 2003 to 2013 before taking head coaching positions at Florida Gulf Coast and East Carolina. He returned to Lawrence in 2022, initially as the director of student-athlete development, before moving back into an assistant coaching role.
The Jayhawks’ coaching staff recently saw significant changes with the additions of Jacque Vaughn and Tony Bland, alongside longtime assistants Kurtis Townsend and Jeremy Case.
