Jail to second team: USC linebacker makes surprise return
Southern Cal linebacker Simione Vehikite returned to practice Wednesday after serving three months of a suspended jail sentence for felony DUI and identity theft. On Thursday, he was back on the Trojans' defensive depth chart.
Coach Lane Kiffin said Vehikite was back on the team -- and on scholarship -- when he met with media after Thursday's practice.
The timing of the addition of Vehikite is curious in that walk-on Will-Andrew was apparently told this week his scholarship wouldn't be renewed.
"He was fortunate to have one for a year," Kiffin told the LA Daily News.
Vehikite faced four felony counts, charges handed down in February but stemming from an incident seven months earlier, for driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08 percent and causing injury, leaving the scene of an accident and identity theft.
He pleaded no contest in May and received three years probation and a two-year jail sentence. He served three months in jail this summer.
