Oregon receiver Messiah Hampton arrested for reckless driving after high-speed police chase
University of Oregon wide receiver Messiah Hampton was arrested Friday on charges of attempting to elude police and misdemeanor reckless driving.
The alleged incident was said to have taken place on October 18 in Springfield, Oregon, where another Ducks receiver was also being arrested around that time. Senior wideout Evan Stewart was charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) in the early hours of October 18 – less than a day after Oregon’s win over visiting Nebraska. Formal charges have not yet been filed in that case.
Hampton, meanwhile, was allegedly involved in a high-speed chase with Springfield police on the morning of October 18. Two vehicles were able to evade officers, who later found one of the cars abandoned near where Stewart was arrested for DUII.
Ducks tight end Jamari Johnson was also cited for speeding that night, but he is not believed to be involved with either case, police told OregonLive.com.
The other driver who allegedly fled police has yet to be identified.
‘Mr. Hampton has been identified as the driver of one of the vehicles,’ Springfield Police deputy chief George Crolly said in a statement. ‘We are still working to identify the driver of the other vehicle.’
University of Oregon receiver Messiah Hampton is seen reading bible verses on Instagram
A four-star recruit out of Rochester, New York, Hampton nearly went to Syracuse before joining the Ducks. He is the second Oregon receiver arrested over an October 18 driving incident
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart was previously arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) near the school’s Eugene campus on October 18
The Rochester, New York native was a late scratch for Saturday’s game with Northwestern.
Ducks coach Dan Lanning addressed Stewart’s arrest on October 20.
‘There was an incident this weekend that didn’t match our standard here in our program,’ Lanning said.
‘There will be an appropriate action taken. Still gathering some details with what that situation looks like. But that would be handled internally. I’m not gonna respond to any other questions about that. We’re gonna handle that with our guys.
‘There’s an expectation of what you have to… how you have to act, and how you need to perform in our program. Kind of overshadows the success that we had on Saturday, which is disappointing, but that will be handled by us internally. I’m not going to speak on it publicly.’
Stewart’s arrest was the second DUII charge for Oregon football in the last few months after running back coach Ra’Shaad Samples was booked back in August. Samples has pleaded not guilty in the case.
A four-star recruit out of Frisco, Texas, Stewart initially attended Texas A&M before transferring to Oregon in 2024. The redshirt senior has 27 catches for 352 yards and four touchdowns this year. He missed Saturday’s 17-14 win over Nebraska after being ruled out due to an undisclosed injury.
Hampton was also a four-star recruit and ultimately committed to the Ducks after first considering staying in state with Syracuse.
