Not guilty drunken driving plea for Buckeye player

Not guilty drunken driving plea for Buckeye player

Published Jan. 12, 2012 8:30 p.m. ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio State cornerback Dominic Clarke has been charged with drunken driving, less than three months after he was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct.

Court records show Clarke pleaded not guilty Thursday in Franklin County court. He was charged Saturday with running a stop sign, speeding and operating a vehicle while impaired.

In October, Clarke was charged with disorderly conduct and fined after police said he discharged a BB gun on campus. No one was hurt.

His lawyer, Christopher Cooper, calls Clarke an excellent student and says "he's no different than any 20-year-old and shouldn't be treated any different than any 20 year old."

The redshirt sophomore from Frederick, Md., played in 11 games this season.

New Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was asked Thursday how he will handle Clarke and other disciplinary issues.

"What we'll never do is say we're going to make an example out of a kid. That's not going to happen," Meyer said in a news conference. "However, (Clarke) broke a team rule. I'm still getting the information. I'm very, very disappointed because some things were covered in the team meeting. They'll be dealt with very swiftly and sternly at the appropriate time."

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