Ex-NFL Great Bruce Smith Convicted Of Drunk Driving
10/07/2009 11:07
VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia -- NFL great Bruce Smith was convicted of drunken driving on Thursday by a judge who rejected his claim that old injuries, not alcohol, were responsible for his poor performance on field sobriety tests.
Smith declined to answer reporters' questions after his trial in Virginia Beach General District Court. He promptly appealed the verdict to Virginia Beach Circuit Court, which set a hearing in the case for Aug. 27.
Smith also was convicted of speeding and refusing to take an alcohol breath test. Judge Teresa McCrimmon gave Smith a 90-day suspended jail term and fined him $350 for drunken driving. She also suspended his driver's license for a year for refusing the breath test and fined him $90 for speeding.
The appeal is scheduled less than three weeks after Smith's Aug. 7 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Smith, 46, ended a 19-year career with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins as the NFL's all-time sacks leader. The defensive lineman played in 11 Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection nine times before retiring after the 2003 season.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Is it just me, or are there a lot of former and current NFL football players getting themselves into hot water with the law these days?