Florida Gators starting defensive end Carlos Dunlap was arrested and charged with driving under the influence early Tuesday morning in Gainesville.

Florida coach Urban Meyer announced after practice Tuesday evening that Dunlap has been suspended indefinitely from the team and will not play for the No. 1 Gators against No. 2 Alabama for the SEC Championship on Saturday in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

Meyer says he is "stunned" by Dunlap's actions.

"Carlos obviously made a very poor decision," Meyer said. "I have not spoke to him or his family yet. He's not going to play. But I want to visit with him and his family first and go from there."

Meyer acknowledged that the situation was a distraction as his team prepares for a matchup that has national championship implications. But he also said his players might be able to overcome it, much like they did flulike symptoms and linebacker Brandon Spikes' suspension for dirty play.

"We've had distraction after distraction," Meyer said. "This is a rather serious one, obviously, so it is a distraction. Sometimes this team's found ways to get a little tighter in distractions. We've had a few of them this year."

Dunlap, a junior from North Charleston, S.C., was arrested at 3:25 a.m. near campus and was booked into the jail at 5:52 a.m., Gainesville Police Department spokesman Lt. Keith Kameg said.

He was released on his own recognizance about six hours later during his initial appearance at the Alachua County Jail. Judge Mary Day Coker admonished Dunlap for underage drinking, and said he cannot possess alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription drugs that are not prescribed for him.

He was told not to drive a motor vehicle without a license, and if caught driving without a license, he would violate the terms of his release. The judge released Dunlap without bond because he has no prior adjudications and no failures to appear in court.

Wearing a jail-issued, green-and-white striped jumpsuit, Dunlap spoke softly when asked questions and always replied "Yes, ma'am," to the judge.