Oregon WR Messiah Hampton arrested for eluding police

The Springfield chase from 2 weekends ago now has a name attached to it, and it's an Oregon receiver's.

Ryan Clarke

@RyanTClarke

BREAKING: Oregon WR Messiah Hampton was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of reckless driving and eluding police. The arrest stems from a high-speed chase in Springfield early Oct. 18 involving two vehicles. The second driver has yet to be identified. t.co/CsQRlvFzMK

Here's the backstory. Early on Oct. 18, Springfield police saw multiple vehicles speeding in the West Centennial area and tried to pull them over. The drivers of 2 vehicles didn't stop and tried to get away, and officers called off the pursuit for safety reasons. Springfield Deputy Chief George Crolly called the fleeing vehicles "a serious felony investigation." That's not language you use for a speeding ticket.

It's also not the first Oregon wideout tied to that night. Evan Stewart was stopped in a separate vehicle that pulled over right away, and he was arrested for investigation of DUII. He was later charged with driving with a suspended license while prosecutors wait on evidence for a possible DUI charge. Crolly also said SPD was not investigating "street racing" involving Oregon football players, so be careful with any version of this you see online that says the Ducks were racing each other. Police haven't said that.

For Hampton, this is a nasty turn in what was shaping up as a breakout freshman year. He's a 4-star kid out of Rochester, New York, and he was the Gatorade New York Player of the Year after a senior season at James Monroe with 62 catches for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns. Injuries in Oregon's receiver room pushed him into the starting lineup early, and through 4 games he had 14 catches for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns.

He's already been off the field. Hampton sat out the Oct. 24 game against Illinois along with Jalen Lott, Stewart and Jeremiah McClellan, which left Oregon absurdly thin at receiver. Dan Lanning said at the time he expected to have guys back, but Hampton was then ruled out again for Northwestern, his second straight missed game. Nobody publicly connected those absences to the Oct. 18 night. With Friday's arrest, it's fair to ask whether they were connected.

The big unanswered question is the second driver. 2 cars ran from police that night and only 1 driver has been named. If that person turns out to be another Duck, Lanning has a much bigger problem than a thin receiver room. Watch for what Oregon says about Hampton's status, whether Springfield police name the second driver, and whether Hampton is anywhere near the plan for the Ohio State trip next week. Eluding is a serious charge, and right now a freshman's breakout year is on hold over it.