Brian Merritt, ASU Assistant Basketball Coach, Arrested: Details, Comments

Arizona State men's basketball assistant coach Brian Merritt was recently placed on a leave of absence and missed four Sun Devils games after he was arrested on suspicion of DUI and "being impaired to the slightest degree," according to AzCentral Sports' Doug Haller.    

According to Haller, Merritt was stopped by police and subsequently failed a field sobriety test after he was spotted making an illegal turn. The 36-year-old's blood alcohol content was reportedly recorded at .109 percent—0.029 percent higher than the legal limit of .08. 

"He made a mistake,'' Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley said, per Haller. "He apologized to the team and coaching staff, and hopefully, we just learn from it and move forward."

The Sun Devils lost all four games during Merritt's suspension—including defeats at the hands of Pac-12 foes UCLA, Arizona, Utah and Colorado—but he reportedly returned to the team Tuesday.

With a record of 14-15 on the season and nonexistent NCAA Tournament hopes barring a miracle in next week's conference tournament, the Sun Devils can merely hope to finish out the season strong as they get ready to host Stanford on Thursday and the 25th-ranked California Golden Bears on Saturday.