Gary Pinkel admitted he "failed miserably" as a role model after being arrested for drunk driving and pleading guilty to DWI charges.

Pinkel met with local reporters at his attorney's office on Monday for the first time since the arrest. He was suspended a week without pay and will donate his salary to the MU Wellness Resource Center the week after he returns to the team on Thursday.

Pinkel's team beat Texas Tech 31-27 on Saturday, and Pinkel watched from his condo in the Lake of the Ozarks, which he called "gut-wrenching."

Pinkel was sentenced to a 30-day suspended sentence along with two years' probation.

"I can't ever remember once ever hurting my family, my friends, any team I was associated with as a player as a coach, ever hurting anybody," Pinkel told reporters. "So, when I did this, this is one of the most devastating things to ever happen to me personally. I've got to live with it."

He's right about that. Before this incident, Pinkel's reputation was sterling. Local authorities released video of the arrest over the weekend. When police told Pinkel he would be under arrest, his body language said everything. His whole body slumped as he reached his hands behind his back. More than anything, he was disappointed in himself.

"Now it's up to me to begin earning everyone's respect and trust back," Pinkel said. "And that's what I intend to do. This will never ever happen again."

The Tigers erased a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit against the Red Raiders to reach bowl eligibility.

"If we couldn't have won that game," he added, "I don’t know if I could live with that for the rest of my life."

Pinkel said he agreed with the punishments handed to him, but Monday's news conference was a good idea. There aren't many details or burning questions, but Pinkel had to address the issue at some point. Now's as good of a time as ever. The closer it got to Saturday's likely finale to the rivalry with Kansas, the worse.

I don't doubt Pinkel on this. He's been about as remorseful as anyone could have expected, and I'm not the only one who fully expects it to be an isolated incident, even if it's an especially ugly incident.

Now, it's out of the way, and come Thursday morning, Pinkel can get back to coaching his team.