Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward was arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence, the DeKalb County sheriff's office confirmed to NFL Network.
Ward, the former Super Bowl MVP and reigning "Dancing With the Stars" champion, was booked into the DeKalb County jail just outside Atlanta at 3:41 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence. A jail official said Ward, 35, was released on $1,300 bond, though the sheriff's office website said his bond was set at $1,000. The discrepancy couldn't be immediately resolved Saturday.
Ward's manager, Andrew Ree, released a statement Saturday arguing that the receiver wasn't impaired behind the wheel, the *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette* reported.
"On July 9th Hines Ward was stopped by Dekalb Co. police for suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence," the statement read. "He cooperated fully with the police and truthfully answered all of their questions. We are currently in the process of ascertaining all the facts. From our preliminary investigation we can tell you that we are confident that the facts will show that Hines was NOT impaired by alcohol while driving. However, Hines is deeply saddened by this incident and apologizes to his fans and the Steelers organization for this distraction."
The sheriff's office said it had turned over paperwork to the courts and couldn't release any further information about Ward's arrest.
Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten told the Post-Gazette that the team and the Rooney family knew of Ward's arrest but had no comment. It wasn't immediately clear if Ward had an attorney.
On the heels of his "Dancing With the Stars" crown, Ward signed with Craftsman as a campaign spokesman in June, according to the Post-Gazette.
Since being selected by the Steelers in the third round out of Georgia in 1998, Ward has been a four-time Pro Bowl selection and won two Super Bowls. Ward is credited with 11,702 receiving yards and 83 touchdown catches during his 13 NFL seasons.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
