November 16, 1998
By TIM WHITMIRE
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – One day after he was honored in Senior Day ceremoniesat Commonwealth Stadium, Kentucky center Jason Watts was seriously injured anda teammate and another man were killed when Watts’ truck flipped on a ruralhighway.
The three men – Watts, Arthur Steinmetz and Scott Brock – were on their wayto go deer hunting early Sunday when Watts’ pickup veered off the highway, thenswung back onto the road before rolling over.
Dead at the scene were Steinmetz, a defensive lineman who transferred toKentucky from Michigan State in August and was sitting out the season, andBrock, a student at Eastern Kentucky who was a high school teammate and friendof Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch.
Watts, the driver, remained in fair condition early today at University ofKentucky Medical Center, where he was airlifted Sunday from Lake CumberlandRegional Hospital in Somerset. Watts received a severe laceration of hisforearm and was to have surgery today, Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newtonsaid.
The accident occurred hours after Kentucky (7-3) ended its home footballschedule with a 55-17 victory over Vanderbilt and was looking ahead toSaturday’s game against No. 1 Tennessee.
“Something like this puts bowl games and winning seasons and a big gamewith an arch-rival into perspective,” Newton said. “You go from a high of aSaturday we all experienced to the reality of a Sunday morning.”
Newton spoke at a Sunday night news conference which replaced coach HalMumme’s usual Sunday conference call.
“Hal is struggling with this,” Newton said. “On a personal level, he’sstruggling with it, and on a professional level he’s doing what he needs to bedoing, which is being available to his players and to the families involved aswell as his own staff.”
Kentucky’s director of media relations, Rena Vicini, said she had seen atleast two dozen teammates visit Watts in the emergency room Sunday.
Watts was aware of what had happened and was grieving, said Newton. Vicinidescribed the scene as “very emotional.”
“You think they’re men and then you see them in situations like this, andthey’re really just kids,” she said.
Michigan State coach Nick Saban informed his players of Steinmetz’s death ata team meeting.
“It’s a total shock. It’s awful. It’s just terrible,” Saban said. “ArtieSteinmetz was a fine young man, very well respected around here as a worker andas a person.”
Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron said the accident happened in clearweather just before 7 a.m. EST on southbound U.S. 27, about 60 miles south ofLexington and 10 miles north of Somerset.
Catron said the 1985 Chevy truck in which the men were traveling driftedonto the shoulder of the road. Watts apparently got the truck back on thepavement but overcorrected, sending it across the two-lane highway and off theother side, throwing all three men from the vehicle, Catron said.
None was wearing a seat belt.
According to Newton, Watts walked to a nearby farmhouse for help. Inaddition to the cut to his forearm, which stretched from his elbow to hiswrist, Watts had several bruises and other cuts.
Catron said investigators took blood samples from Watts for alcohol testing,a routine step in such cases. Newton said he had no indication alcohol wasinvolved.
Speed apparently was a factor in the crash, but Catron declined to say howfast the truck was traveling pending completion of an investigation.
Watts has been a mainstay of the offensive line that has given Couch goodprotection all season.
Steinmetz, 19, would have had three years of eligibility remaining startingnext season.
Brock was from Couch’s hometown of Hyden, in eastern Kentucky. Newton saidthe quarterback went there Sunday to be with Brock’s family.
Newton said the school would make counseling available to players.
Funeral arrangements for Steinmetz and Brock were not immediately available.
