Iowa Basketball Player Cordell Pemsl Charged with OWI
Just over a month from the start of the Iowa men's basketball season, junior forward Cordell Pemsl is facing charges off the court. Pemsl was charged with Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), first offense, early this morning in Iowa City.
According to KCJJ, Iowa City Police stopped Pemsl at approximately 2:45 a.m. this morning after he didn't obey a traffic control device. Authorities also allege he turned improperly and had a cracked taillight that resulted in white light showing.
Police say Pemsl had both impaired balance and speech and bloodshot, watery eyes. He had bar wristbands on and reportedly admitted to drinking. A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol content of .151. The Datamaster reading was .122.
A media release from the University of Iowa Sports Information Department says officials within the University of Iowa Athletic Department are gathering facts in the case. The release also states Pemsl
will be suspended from all basketball-related activities indefinitely and is subject to the rules and regulations of the UI Student-Athlete Code of Conduct and the rules and regulations of the basketball program.
Pemsl, 22, is a Dubuque native who played in only two games last season before undergoing knee surgery. According to Hawkeye Sports, the surgery was to "remove hardware near his knee from a previous surgery when he was in high school." He has played in 67 games in his Iowa career, averaging 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds.
The Iowa men's basketball team opens the 2019-20 season with an exhibition game against Lindsey Wilson College on November 4. The regular-season opener is November 11 in Iowa City against the DePaul Blue Demons.