Oregon Freshman Receiver Messiah Hampton Arrested Following October High-Speed Chase
Oregon wide receiver Messiah Hampton was arrested Friday afternoon in connection with a high-speed chase earlier this month that involved two vehicles evading Springfield police, ESPN reported. The true freshman faces two felony charges of attempting to elude police and one misdemeanor charge of reckless driving, according to Lane County Jail records. He was booked into custody and released Friday evening in Springfield, Oregon.
Oregon WR Messiah Hampton was arrested Friday on charges of reckless driving and eluding police, @oregonlive reports. The arrest follows an October 18 high-speed chase involving two vehicles in Springfield.https://t.co/YzXNxIu4Ra pic.twitter.com/DXsNoekGEL
The incident occurred during the early hours of Oct. 18, just hours after the Ducks’ home victory against Nebraska. Springfield police dispatch logs show that officers engaged in a high-speed pursuit of two vehicles at 3:51 a.m. No immediate arrests were made during the initial response. One of the pursued vehicles was later abandoned near the area where fellow Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants about an hour after the pursuit.
Springfield Police Deputy Chief George Crolly told OregonLive on Friday evening that investigators identified Hampton as the driver of one of the vehicles. Authorities stated that they are still working to identify the driver of the second vehicle involved in the eluding incident. Police did not name Stewart or Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson as suspects in the high-speed chase, though records showed Johnson received a Class A speeding ticket that same morning.
Availability Reports and Team Disruption
Head coach Dan Lanning addressed the fallout during an evening news conference on Oct. 19, two days after the Nebraska game. Lanning cited “an incident that didn’t match our standard” and stated that it “overshadowed the success we had,” though he declined to elaborate at the time. The program indicated that details were still being gathered and that discipline would be handled internally.
Hampton was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2026 and has earned playing time under Lanning, ranking sixth on the team with 161 receiving yards. Stewart and Johnson rank second and third in receiving yards, respectively. Prior to Friday’s development, Hampton was abruptly added to the Big Ten availability report as a late addition for the second consecutive week. The Ducks played without Stewart, who missed time due to an undisclosed injury alongside his DUII arrest, and Hampton for undisclosed reasons, alongside injured wide receivers Jalen Lott and Jeremiah McClellan.
The University of Oregon did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the arrest. After starting the season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press preseason poll, Oregon holds a 4-3 record, is currently unranked, and faces Northwestern on Saturday.
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