Marshawn Lynch arrested for drunk driving
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was arrested by the police on Saturday morning due to suspicion of driving under the influence.
According to reports, 26-year-old football star was seen weaving in and out of lanes on Interstate 880 in the Oakland, California area while he was driving his Ford Econoline van. This nearly caused him to collide with two other vehicles on the road. Marshawn Lynch was then pulled over around 3:20 in the morning by the California Highway Patrol in Emeryville, and during the stop, the police officer noticed that he seemed intoxicated. After conducting several field sobriety tests, Lynch was arrested and booked into jail for driving under the influence. He was subsequently cited and eventually released. The NFL star also took a chemical test.
Alameda County district attorney’s office director of communications Teresa Drenick said that Marshawn Lynch was scheduled for an August 14 preliminary court appearance, and that any decision on charging the football player will be made by that time. Drenick added that the office has yet to receive the police report from California Highway Patrol.
On Monday, the Seattle Seahawks said in a statement that the team is “aware of the situation with Marshawn Lynch and still gathering information.”
The agent of the football star did not respond to calls immediately coming from The Associated Press who were seeking for comment.
Marshawn Lynch signed a four-year contract in March which will keep him in the Seattle team for the prime of his National Football League career. His contract is worth $31 million, including a guaranteed $18 million. Lynch is known to have rushed for 1,204 yards and did 12 touchdowns last season.
Marshawn Lynch came to Seattle during the 2010 season in a trade with the Buffalo, and after the stalling of his career with the Bills. He had issues off the field while he was still in Buffalo, but he steered clear of trouble with the Seattle Seahawks, until now.
In March 2009, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in Los Angeles. Lynch was subsequently sentenced to three years probation and 80 hours of community service, and was also suspended for three games by the league for violating the National Football League conduct policy.
The incident on March 2009 was the second run-in of Marshawn Lynch with the law, following a hit-and-run accident in Buffalo in May 2008. In that earlier incident, Lynch pleaded guilty to a traffic violation and admitted that he fled the scene after striking a woman with his car near Buffalo’s downtown bar district.