UK basketball staff member arrested, charged with DUI in Lexington
A University of Kentucky men’s basketball staff member was arrested in Lexington early Monday morning and charged with DUI.
Chris Woolard, 48, who has been with the UK basketball program since 2011, was arrested for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Court documents say Woolard was found in the driver’s seat and the car was on a sidewalk resting up against a fence near Beaumont Centre Lane at Malone Drive.
When contacted by police, Woolard admitted to drinking alcohol and taking prescription medication, according to court documents. Woolard also had bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech, unsteady gait, smelled of alcohol and was covered in vomit, according to an arrest citation. He was unable to put the vehicle in park, turn it off and exit it, police wrote in court documents.
Woolard showed signs of impairment on multiple sobriety tests and refused a breath test, according to his arrest citation. He was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center early Monday morning but is no longer listed in the jail log.
In a statement provided to the Herald-Leader Thursday, a spokesperson for the UK athletic department said “we are aware of the situation and we are handling the matter internally.”
Woolard is currently the associate athletics director for basketball operations and has worked closely with John Calipari and the Wildcats’ coaching staff. He also serves as the executive director for the Calipari Foundation.
He was an assistant coach for the Murray State men’s basketball team from 1997-2003 and later worked as an administrator in the Conference USA offices before joining UK in 2011.
When he was hired, Woolard was described as a “close confidant” of Calipari’s, and the two worked together when Woolard was with the league office and Calipari coached the Memphis Tigers.
“We have had a strong working relationship in the past and look forward to our future at UK,” Calipari tweeted at the time.
Kentucky held its annual Pro Day showcase for NBA scouts Sunday evening in the Joe Craft Center, and Woolard was in attendance for that event. UK will host Big Blue Madness in Rupp Arena on Friday night.
