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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huskies’ Azeem Victor suspended indefinitely after arrest

Washington Huskies linebacker Azeem Victor has seen his senior season become derailed. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
By Adam Jude Seatle Times

Washington senior linebacker Azeem Victor has been suspended indefinitely from the team after he was arrested over the weekend.

According to King County Jail records, Victor was booked into custody at 4:16 a.m. Sunday after being arrested on suspicion of DUI. He was released from custody at 10:16 a.m. Sunday after posting $1,000 bail.

“We take these matters very seriously, and have suspended Azeem from our team indefinitely as we continue to gather details about this incident,” UW coach Chris Petersen said in a statement.

Victor was driving 76 mph “in an aggressive and unsafe manor” on northbound Interstate 5 near downtown Seattle early Sunday, according to the arrest report obtained by KOMO News. After being pulled over by a Washington State Patrol trooper, Victor had a blood alcohol content measured at 0.097 and 0.092. The state’s legal limit is 0.08.

Victor has had a tumultuous senior season already.

An Associated Press preseason first-team All-American, he was suspended for the season opener at Rutgers for a failed drug test. In October, he lost his starting job at middle linebacker.

Victor had missed the final month of the 2016 season with a broken tibia, and had spoken optimistically this summer about returning to form.

Instead, his role on the team was greatly diminished this season. Over the past six weeks, he transitioned to defensive end after getting beat out at middle linebacker by junior Ben Burr-Kirven, who leads the team with 64 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Victor, in limited snaps at defensive end, did have a sack in the Huskies’ 30-22 loss at Stanford last week.

In 2016, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Victor was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection at linebacker after posting 67 tackles in 10 games, and his physical presence in the middle of the field typified the personality of the conference’s best defense the past two seasons.

As he entered the 2017 season, some had him pegged as a fringe first-round NFL talent.

Off the field, Victor started his own foundation – Azeem’s Dream Foundation – to provide tutoring and supplies for middle-school students. Last week on Twitter, Victor proudly showed a picture of the UW diploma he received after earning his undergraduate degree.