Alabama DL Da’Shawn Hand arrested for DUI

One of Alabama’s top returning defenders was arrested just days before the first preseason practice.

Per a report from TideSports.com, Alabama defensive end Da’Shawn Hand was arrested early Saturday morning for suspicion of DUI and is being held on a $1,000 bond.

After serving in mostly a reserve capacity his first three seasons, Hand is slated for a starting role in 2017 as Nick Saban attempts to rebuild a defensive front seven that lost five players to the NFL Draft, including National Defensive Player of the Year and first-round pick Jonathan Allen.

The former No.1 recruit in the 2014 signing class, Hand was voted to the first-team preseason All-SEC  team after registering 21 tackles, 2.5 for loss, in 2016. He will almost certainly face an in-house suspension, though to what extent is unclear at this time.

Next: College Football's 25 Best Rivalries

When offensive lineman Alphonse Taylor was charged with a DUI in 2016, Saban handed him an “indefinite suspension,” but it was only for the season opener. When Georgia lineman Jonathan Ledbetter was found asleep at the wheel and given a DUI the same year, he was suspended two games per school policy.

This incident will be Hand’s first public discipline since he’s been with the program. Alabama’s fall camp begins on Thursday, Aug. 3.

The Crimson Tide open their regular season against Florida State on Saturday, Sept. 2. Saban’s team will be favorites to win it all, despite losing to Clemson in the national title game last season, 35-31.

The result came as a shock at the end of another dominant year for Alabama, but the program looks set to dominate college football as it has done throughout Saban’s time in charge. The news regarding Hand’s DUI certainly isn’t the best way to start training camp, but Saban has experience dealing with these sorts of incidents and it’s unlikely to have a big effect on the coming season.