Kansas Assistant Coach Joe Dooley Suspended Three Weeks Following DUI Arrest
As Kansas gears up for the grind of Big 12 play, the program finds itself dealing with an unexpected off-court issue. Assistant coach Joe Dooley has been suspended from his coaching duties for three weeks following his arrest over the weekend in Lawrence on suspicion of driving under the influence and failure to stop at an accident. The school confirmed the suspension Monday.
Head coach Bill Self addressed the situation directly: “We are aware Assistant Coach Joe Dooley was arrested for driving under the influence,” Self said in a statement. “Joe exercised poor judgment and will be suspended for three weeks, effective immediately. Joe is remorseful, apologetic, and accepts the consequences of his actions.”
Dooley’s not a new face in Lawrence. He’s been part of the Kansas basketball fabric for years, a familiar and trusted presence on Self’s staff.
After a stint as head coach at East Carolina, he returned to Kansas in 2023, stepping back into a behind-the-scenes role that, while not always front and center, carries weight in the day-to-day operations of the program. He understands the culture, the expectations, and how things run under Self.
That makes this situation all the more disappointing for a program that’s typically known for its consistency and discipline. With Big 12 play right around the corner and national title aspirations very much in play-as they are most years in Lawrence-this is the kind of distraction that no team wants to deal with in December.
Details surrounding the incident remain limited. According to the official report, Dooley was arrested Saturday and released the same day.
There’s no public word yet on whether charges have been formally filed or how the legal process will unfold. What’s certain is that Dooley will be away from the bench for three weeks, missing a stretch of games that could impact Kansas’ positioning as it builds its March résumé.
From a basketball standpoint, Kansas is built to absorb this. The coaching staff is deep, experienced, and more than capable of keeping things steady in Dooley’s absence. Self has never been one to rely too heavily on a single assistant’s voice, and the infrastructure in place is strong enough to weather a short-term loss.
Still, it’s a headline the Jayhawks didn’t need. Even if the impact on the court is minimal, the timing isn’t ideal. Kansas is a program that typically keeps the focus between the lines, and this incident brings a level of attention that no team welcomes midseason.
Dooley is expected to return once the suspension is served, but for now, the program moves forward without him as the legal process plays out. It’s a bump in the road for a team with much bigger goals in sight, and how they handle this stretch will be another test of their focus and maturity.