Citing his wish to focus on football, Oakland Raiders wide receiver (and former first round draft pick) Darrius Heyward-Bey put his DUI case to rest by agreeing to a no contest plea, reports the San Francisco Examiner. As part of the deal, he will face no jail time, three years’ probation, and three months worth of alcohol education classes.
The biggest “bust” since JaMarcus Russell, Heyward-Bey was stopped on April 7 at 2 a.m. after police officers noticed him weaving and speeding on the San Francisco side of the Bay Bridge.
Had he been on the Alameda County/Oakland side of the Bay Bridge, he would have been subject to the same ignition interlock device requirement that Los Angeles offenders, and fellow NFL player Marshawn Lynch, face. First time offenders in those counties are required to install the blood-alcohol monitoring device. In other counties, such a requirement is only mandated in extreme cases for first-timers.
According to the CHP, DHB failed multiple field sobriety tests before he was subject to a test of his blood-alcohol content. The test read 0.13.
Now that his drunk driving case is behind him, DHB will be free to head up to wine country. The Oakland Raiders hold their training camp in Napa, California.
Though he cited his desire to avoid “bringing bad attention to the team”, one wonders how much anyone will really remember this offense in a week or two, unless, of course, he gets suspended. Then again, considering his production on the field, (last season was a fluke) it’s still likely that no one will notice.
In addition, a fellow Raiders first-rounder is currently facing a quadruple homicide case. Though that player is no longer in the NFL, four murders trump a borderline DUI case any day.
Related Resources:
- Discuss Your Case With a Los Angeles DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
- Raiders’ Darrius Heyward-Bey pleads no contest to DUI charge (NFL.com)
- Will Raiders-49ers Games Continue After Spate of Shootings? (FindLaw’s Tarnished Twenty Blog)
- Former Raider Accused of Attacking County Supervisor (FindLaw’s Tarnished Twenty Blog)
ShareThis
