Michael Turner apologizes for his drunk driving arrest
Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner has already issued an apology on Wednesday to his football team and their fans for his drunk driving arrest, saying be made a “bad decision on my part” and is prepared to deal with the consequences.
According to reports, 30-year-old Michael Turner addressed the media early Wednesday morning, saying “I’d like to apologize to Mr. Blank (Falcons owner), Thomas Dimitroff (Falcons GM), Mike Smith (head coach) and the whole Falcons organization and the fans out there for the situation that I’m in right now.”
“I shouldn’t have been in this situation to begin with,” Turner told the reporters outside the locker room at the Atlanta Falcons’ suburban training complex. “I’ve got to learn from it.”
As previous reports have stated, Michael Turner was pulled over by police in suburban Gwinnett County around 5 AM on Tuesday — just a few hours after he scored a touchdown in Atlanta’s 27-21 win over Denver. Police say the football star was caught doing 97 mph in a 65-mph zone, so they booked him into prison on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol after he took a field sobriety test.
Turner expects to play Sunday when Atlanta travels to San Diego to face the San Diego Chargers, his former team.
“Nobody has told me I’m not playing, so I’m going to prepare like I am,” Michael Turner said.
His driving under the influence arrest came after a slow start to the season for the football player, who has rushed for more than 1,300 yards in three of his four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. The only exception was back in 2009, when he was limited to 11 games due to his injuries.
This season, Michael Turner has rushed for only 74 yards in the first two games, averaging a meager 2.6 yards per carry while struggling to find holes and break tackles. Against the Denver Broncos, he did just 27 yards on 16 carries until breaking off a 15-yard gain with his final run of the night.
“I just want to go out there and play hard,” Turner said. “Play hard for my teammates and do whatever I can to help this team win.”
A police report released on Wednesday stated that Michael Turner told the officer he went to Magic City — a strip club near the Georgia Dome. After initially denying he drank any booze after the football game, he eventually admitted that he had multiple shots of alochol, but “did not keep count.”
“I pointed out the fact to him that I could still smell the strong odour of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath,” the police officer wrote in the report. “He stated he had a couple shots while at Magic City in Atlanta. He stated he had consumed the alcohol around 3 a.m. due to getting there late. He was able to say he has less than 10 shot(s), but approximately 5 shots. I asked him if the shots were normal size and he stated they were in cups, not shot glasses.”
The police officer said Michael Turner was cooperative during his arrest for driving under the influence and appeared to be walking and speaking normally. But, the report said, Turner “exhibited slightly bloodshot, watery, glazed eyes.” He submitted to a breathalyzer test, which produced a reading of .109 — way above the legal limit of .08 to be considered legally drunk.
After he was brought to the county jail, Michael Turner refused to take an intoxilyzer test, which gives a more accurate reading.
The Atlanta Falcons have avoided major off-the-field problems under the guidance of Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, a point of emphasis after Michael Vick went to prison for funding a dogfighting operation.
“First and foremost, any time a player sheds negatively on our football team and on our organization, we are very disappointed,” Smith said Tuesday.
Michael Turner refused to go on the specifics of his case, but made it clear that he will do whatever it takes to get back in good graces.
“I don’t think anybody is more disappointed than I am in myself,” he said. “I’ve just got to man up.”