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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Gonzaga Coach Mark Few pleads guilty to DUI, must pay fine and complete community service

Gonzaga coach Mark Few instructs his players during Kraziness in the Kennel in Nov. 2020.  (Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review)

Gonzaga basketball coach Mark Few pleaded guilty to driving under the influence last week, just five weeks after he was arrested in Idaho.

Few took responsibility for his actions during the hearing and said he was “pleading guilty because I am guilty,” according to court records.

The longtime coach must complete 24 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine in lieu of spending four days in jail, according to court documents. The maximum penalty for the misdemeanor is six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

His driver’s license is suspended until Nov. 5, when he will be required to use an ignition interlock device while on unsupervised probation for the next year. Few was required to complete an alcohol and drug class in the next 90 days, which his attorney indicated he had already done.

Few’s attorney, Dennis Thompson, told the court that the coach is “very humbled,” and the incident was out of character. Few spent a day out in the sun and thought he was OK to drive, but he was not, Thompson said, adding it was a mistake Few wouldn’t make again.

In his statement, Few echoed the sentiment.

“I’m very, very sorry. It won’t happen again,” Few said in court.

Few was pulled over on Labor Day, Sept. 6, by a Coeur d’Alene police officer. He initially refused to leave the vehicle when ordered by the officer and refused to perform field sobriety tests, according to a police report. Few said he had previous ankle and knee injuries that prevented him from performing field sobriety tests, the report said.

Few initially told the officer he did not have any alcohol on Monday but later said he had a couple of beers, according to the report. He told police he was returning from his vacation home in Hayden Lake and driving to Spokane.

Few was suspended for Gonzaga’s two exhibition games and the nonconference season opener but is expected to return for Gonzaga’s Nov. 13 game against Texas at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

“I have had a month to reflect on the regretful decisions I made on Sept. 6,” Few said in a school release earlier this month. “I again offer my sincere apology and I remain committed to learning from this mistake.”

Gonzaga’s assistant athletic director of communications Barrett Henderson declined to comment, saying the school would like to refer to its previous statements.

Reporter Theo Lawson contributed to this story.