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Feb 21, 2007 11:14 pm US/Central
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6 Illini Players May Have Known About Car Crash
Investigation Continues Into Why Jamar Smith And Teammates Did Not Call For Help
by Jay Levine
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
An accident involving Illini basketball players and alcohol continues to make headlines at the University of Illinois.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine has learned that while one player says he will plead not guilty to felony charges, university officials are about to start investigating the actions of several others.
Brian Carlwell, the 6-foot-11-inch Illini freshman from Maywood, was on the bench for Wednesday night's game, and perhaps lucky to be there.
Last week, he was in the passenger seat of a car, critically injured when it crashed into a tree. He spent four days in intensive care. The driver of that car, Carlwell's teammate Jamar Smith, was also at the game, though he has left the team.
Wednesday afternoon Smith was booked on charges of drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
"We will treat Jamar Smith the same as we would treat anyone else in those circumstances. We're not being harder on him because he's an athlete and we're not being easier on him, not treating him any differently because of it either," said Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz.
Investigators say after the accident, Smith drove back to the apartment where he had been drinking earlier, leaving an unconscious Carlwell in the car.
"I was extremely shocked by it," said one woman who says she saw Smith leave the car.
The woman, watching from her window, made the only call to 911.
Investigators say Smith told other players at the apartment what had happened.
Wednesday night, CBS 2 has learned that at least six other members of the basketball team were in that apartment. They include starters Chester Frazier, a sophomore from Baltimore and Smith's roommate; Shaun Pruitt, a junior from west suburban Aurora; and Brian Randle, another junior from Peoria.
Illinois' dean of students wants to know why no one there called for help.
William Riley tells CBS 2 his investigation will begin within the week into student code violations like underage drinking, which may have led to reckless endangerment of another student.
Riley says that basketball coach Bruce Weber could impose his own sanctions on the other players involved for violating team rules or conduct detrimental to the program.
But Weber has not done that yet, and he has not been available to talk about it. All those players were available for Wednesday night's victory over Michigan.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)