Tatupu Popped for DUI

[Sweezo]

Seriously...WTF? He's probably the last guy on the team I would expect to be nailed for a DUI:

Seattle radio station KJR-AM 950 is reporting today that Lofa Tatupu, the Seahawks' perennial Pro Bowl linebacker, has been arrested for drunken driving.

The Seahawks recently signed Tatupu to a long-term extension. Team president Tim Ruskell has taken a hard line against off-field incidents. Tatupu is the defensive leader of the Seahawks. This is the first off-field incident involving Tatupu that I can recall hearing about.

KJR has a copy of the police report showing Tatupu blew .155 percent and .158 percent in his breath tests. The legal limit in Washington state is .08 percent.

Disappointing, as a .15 is a "no-question he's ****" sample, a bit unusual for a guy with a clean slate. But the most disappointing part?

The police report says Tatupu, whose new deal is worth more than $40 million, was driving a 2006 Hyundai Accent, worth about $11,000 fully loaded with 30,000 miles, according to Kelley Blue Book.

[Troy McClure]

lol. maybe he likes the car... a lot.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

LOL. What's wrong with penny-pinching? He probably got sloshed on HRD and PBR as well.

This does suck, though, and I was disappointed to see this.

[Bulltalk]

It's a drag that he got nailed. I'm not surprised he got skunked, but a little disappointed that he was driving skunked. He's a team leader, and a player who has to be extra careful about his image.

Oh well. I'm sure he'll say all the right things when he moves into damage control.

[RC52]

I can understand the thinking in driving drunk in a Hyundai, Imagine if he was in a Ferrari... He might be dead.

[Ex-hippie]

I can understand the thinking in driving drunk in a Hyundai, Imagine if he was in a Ferrari... He might be dead.

I can see the televised public service announcement now: a drunk guy at a party handing over his Ferrari keys to a responsible, sober friend, who pats him on the back and says "You're doing the right thing. Take the Hyundai instead."

[Sweezo]

This whole situation has lead to much comedic gold, as every ignorant person ever created has apparently decided to throw their two cents in about the legal merits of this case on the Tacoma News Tribune blog. And moral judgments abound!

Hughes even made a major mistake by saying a lawyer told him a slight Miranda issue would get the case thrown out. Uhhh...no? That type of crap journalism is what gets quoted by other outlets and educates people incorrectly.

[Ex-hippie]

This whole situation has lead to much comedic gold, as every ignorant person ever created has apparently decided to throw their two cents in about the legal merits of this case on the Tacoma News Tribune blog. And moral judgments abound!

Hughes even made a major mistake by saying a lawyer told him a slight Miranda issue would get the case thrown out. Uhhh...no? That type of crap journalism is what gets quoted by other outlets and educates people incorrectly.

Yeah, as I read through the comments, Billy Watson at 8:35 (7th comment) pretty much nails it.

[Sweezo]

Ha...had the same thought about the same poster. I've handled more DUIs as a prosecutor and a defense attorney than I care to remember...

Now the thread has a bunch of people recommending Tatupu go deferred. Christ, don't comment on things you don't know about, folks...

I can't take. The last guy's getting a free legal consult...

[Troy McClure]

-= original quote snipped =-



I can see the televised public service announcement now: a drunk guy at a party handing over his Ferrari keys to a responsible, sober friend, who pats him on the back and says "You're doing the right thing. Take the Hyundai instead."

I wish I had something else to add so I'll go a little off topic here. There's few people i like less than drunk drivers, but I love him as a player. So there fore I'm ripped and torne. Do I support him blindly even though I can't stand what kind of stuff he does off the field, even if it was just one time, or do I ignore him because cheering against him would mean that I would want to see the Seahawks fail?

Some one send me your guidance.

[Sweezo]

As someone who deals with DUIs daily, let me say that I can think of no other crime that regularly reaches across divisions of class, race, and gender than a DUI. I really see it as a crime that can hit just about anyone...

By and large, I'm willing to give someone the benefit of a doubt on a first DUI. When you've gotten one, and learned how drunk you were and what the consequences resulted, it sticks with you in the future. It's when they come back a second time, clearly not having learned anything from the first time, when things become very problematic.

[Ex-hippie]

It's when they come back a second time, clearly not having learned anything from the first time, when things become very problematic.

I might be wearing my fanboy blinders, but I'll go along with this. This seems to be the difference between Tatupu and, say, Jerramy Stevens.

I'll add that maybe Tatupu can be cut some slack because he's otherwise been a high-character guy. If this were Pacman Jones (who apparently has not had a DUI, though he's been arrested for public intoxication) getting his first DUI, I'd view it differently.

...actually, and I'm rambling here, if it were Pacman Jones I'd probably just say "well, at least he didn't have a firearm," and forget about it altogether. But let's say it was, I dunno, Jeremy Shockey or somebody. Then I'd be more worried than I am with Tatupu.

[massey1992]

Haha this sucks.