Medlock Says He Is Sorry

UCLA quarterback Ben Olson attracted a crowd and so did running back Chris Markey and defensive tackle Kevin Brown, but the player who drew the most attention at the Bruins’ media day Monday was senior kicker Justin Medlock.

For the first time since he was suspended as a result of an accident that injured Hannah Jun, a member of UCLA’s women’s golf team, on Dec. 10, Medlock spoke to reporters.

“I’m really sorry about the whole thing,” said Medlock, who initially faced two felony counts but eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunk-driving charge and was reinstated to the team last month.

“My family is not disappointed in me because they know that I made a mistake and they forgive me.... We all live and learn. We’re all young and we make mistakes.”

Medlock, tied for fourth on UCLA’s all-time field goal list, was ordered to serve three years’ probation, perform five days of work with a Caltrans crew and undergo a nine-month alcohol program. He said he never worried about not being with his teammates for the first day of training camp.

“It was hard in the beginning -- for the first couple of months -- training by myself,” Medlock said. “Now, it’s gotten easier.”

In Monday’s practice, Medlock worked with a new holder, quarterback Patrick Cowan, and looked good in limited work, according to Coach Karl Dorrell.

“It was good to have him back out, he had a great summer,” Dorrell said of Medlock, who made 13 of 17 field goals last season and was an all-Pacific 10 Conference selection as a sophomore in 2004. “He’s worked out well and he looks great, like he’s ready to go.”

Medlock’s accident happened a week after UCLA’s final regular-season game against USC when he crashed a Toyota truck into a call box on the San Diego Freeway.

As a result of the accident, Jun, who suffered a fractured vertebra in her neck, sat out much of her golf season but has returned and this week is playing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships in North Plains, Ore.

“Both of our families had to take a lot of heat about what happened,” Medlock, 22, said. “Knowing what really happened and what was published, it hurts.”

Medlock was initially charged with felonies for fleeing the scene of the accident and leaving an injured Hun alone in the automobile. Those charges were later dropped.

Although he declined to explain in detail, Medlock -- who did not play in UCLA’s Sun Bowl victory over Northwestern -- says he is still bothered by the inaccuracy of how the accident was reported and added: “I’m just sorry for the passenger and her family and what they have had to go through with the media and everything.”

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First-year defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, who had worked in the NFL for seven of the last eight years before being hired at UCLA, says he’s not worried about the Bruins’ lack of overall size on defense.

“Look at Tampa Bay and Indianapolis, they have two defenses that are undersized by NFL standards,” Walker said. “But every year they finish in the top 10 in overall defense. It shows that it’s more of a scheme thing than talent.”

One of Walker’s priorities this season will be not allowing ballcarriers to gain extra yards after being hit.

Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams “was big on this and that’s yards after contact,” Walker said. “If the number is in triple digits, that’s not good. You want to keep the number in double digits.”

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Brown (ankle) and wide receiver Junior Taylor (knee) worked out with the first-team units after sitting out most of last season and all of spring because of surgeries.... Dorrell said quarterbacks Olson and Cowan will compete for the starting job throughout camp. “There’s no set timetable,” Dorrell said. “We’ll decide when we have a convincing leader.” ... Olson, on UCLA’s use of the shotgun for the first time in four seasons under Dorrell: “I feel great in it,” he said. “It’s something that I did a lot of in high school. I’ve told Coach [offensive coordinator Jim] Svoboda how much I like it.”

Dorrell said he was impressed by freshmen Terrence Austin, Jake Dean, Chane Moline, Jeremy McGee and Sonny Tevaga on their first day of practice.... Junior wide receiver Marcus Everett might not practice the rest of the week because of the death of his grandfather.