Bobby Patrino

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino has announced that linebacker Freddy Burton and wide receiver Marques Wade will both be suspended for the first two games of the season after both were arrested on drunken driving charges.

Burton pleaded guilty yesterday to a drunken driving charge stemming from his June 29 arrest after being pulled over for crossing the center line and then failing a breathalyser test.

Wade was charged with drunken driving after being arrested this past Saturday, July 26. Wade nearly hit a police officer before being pulled over. He then suggested to police that his bloodshot eyes were not the result of being drunk, but of being high. Wade’s breathalyser test told another story.

Petrino claimed that Arkansas athletic department policy called for a one-game suspension, but he decided to get tough on his players and suspend them for two games. Petrino’s decision leaves little doubt about his commitment to discipline as it makes the players available for Arkansas’ matchup with perennial college-football doormat Texas on September 13, but leaves Arkansas shorthanded against heavyweights Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe.

For more on Bobby Petrino’s tough love, visit Sports Illustrated.