No Gridiron for Dixon for Awhile

Updated 12:44 PM EDT, Wed, Dec 3, 2008

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UConn’s tailback is off the gridiron for the foreseeable future after a run-in with the law.

Andre Dixon was arrested early Tuesday on a drunken-driving charge and suspended indefinitely from the football team.

Campus police pulled Dixon over shortly after 1:30 a.m. when an officer noticed he was tailgating her car, according to a police report.

The junior from New Brunswick, N.J., failed a field sobriety test and was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence and following too closely, police said. He posted a $500 bond and is to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Dec. 15.

Football coach Randy Edsall said he has suspended Dixon indefinitely for violating team rules.

"The young man made a mistake," Edsall said. "He came in to see me and we've talked. It's unfortunate, but he made a mistake."

The Huskies (7-4) host No. 23 Pittsburgh (8-3) in their regular-season finale on Saturday.

Dixon, who also was suspended last season for two games for violating team rules, was a second-team All Big East running back in 2007 when he ran for 828 yards.

He sprained an ankle this preseason and has played sparingly this year with the emergence of Donald Brown as the nation's leading rusher.

"Andre is a great kid and a great player," Brown said. "But to be honest with you I don't know what happened. If anything bad happened, you don't wish that on anybody and that's a shame."