After a string of arrests last offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have kept their off-the-field noise to a minimum in 2012. That changed early Monday morning.
The Los Angeles Times confirmed with the Los Angeles Police Department that Bucs cornerback Eric Wright was arrested on a felony charge of suspicion of driving under the influence Monday. Wright was charged with a felony because he allegedly rear-ended a Chevy Silverado, causing injury and requiring the presence of the Los Angeles Fire Department. (Wright was not injured.)
Darlington: Don't be like Mike
Michael Vick has a very simple message for NFL rookies: Don't follow in my footsteps. Jeff Darlington reports. **More ...**
LAPD spokesman Bruce Borihanh confirmed the details of the Times' report to NFL.com and NFL Network. He said Wright admitted on the scene that he had been drinking but refused to submit to a breathalyzer or field-sobriety test.
However, based on his admissions and behavior, Wright was arrested and transported to jail, where he was held on $100,000 bond.
UPDATE:Wright was released at 10:34 a.m. PT on Monday after posting bond (10 percent of the total bail, $10,000), according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
He's currently scheduled to appear in court on July 23 at 8:30 a.m., just three days before Bucs veterans are scheduled to report to training camp.
Wright ran into trouble with the law while at USC, but he hadn't been involved in any known incidents since reaching the pros.
Wright signed a surprisingly large deal (five years, $38 million) with the Buccaneers as a free agent this offseason after a solid-but-unspectacular season with the Detroit Lions this year. (It would seem that the Lions narrowly avoided having another player arrested here.)
New Bucs coach Greg Schiano has stressed individual accountability since taking over. We're interested to see how the organization responds to this arrest.
UPDATE: The team released a statement Monday afternoon concerning Wright's arrest.
"We are aware of the arrest and are in the process of gathering information," Buccaneers director of communications Jonathan Grella said in the statement. "We take such matters very seriously and will handle it appropriately."
