Griese takes blame; faces Jan. 16 hearing

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Oct 31, 2000 | by John Branch

ENGLEWOOD - Brian Griese stepped through the door and into a room filled with sports writers and news reporters.

It's usually not a good thing when, as an athlete, news reporters come to your press conferences. But the Denver Broncos quarterback was poised and succinct in announcing his regret over allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol last weekend.

"It's an unfortunate situation for me, but I understand the seriousness of the charges, and I'm going to take full responsibility for it because that's just the way that I am," Griese said.

Griese spoke for 2 minutes, but he didn't take questions from reporters. He said he was returning home from dinner with a friend and had a "couple of drinks" over the course of the meal.

Griese was charged with driving under the influence after being pulled over at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Interstate 25 in Denver, just south of Arapahoe Road.

Colorado State Patrol Trooper Brad Fox stopped Griese, who was alone in a black 2000 Lincoln sedan, because he was allegedly traveling 80 mph in a 65 mph zone.

It's unclear what led Fox to conclude Griese might have been drinking - Fox wrote "drove vehicle with excessive alcohol content in breath" on the ticket under the heading "charges" - but he asked Griese to take a roadside sobriety test, which Griese failed.

Griese chose to take a breath test rather than a blood test. The reading was not released by the Arapahoe County District Attorney's office, but it was higher than the 0.10 percent legal limit.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it takes four drinks on an empty stomach in one hour for a typical 170-pound man to register 0.08 percent. Griese is listed by the Broncos as 6-3, 215 pounds.

Griese was taken to a detoxification center in Aurora, where he spent several hours until he showed no signs of alcohol in his system and could drive himself home.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 16. If convicted, Griese - as a first-time offender - could lose his license for three months. He faces up to $1,000 in fines, 96 hours of community service and could spend at least five days in jail, though that time could be suspended in lieu of completing alcohol-awareness classes.

The NFL, too, could penalize Griese. Under a provision called "alcohol-related violations of the law," commissioner Paul Tagliabue can fine first-time offenders half a game's salary, with a maximum fine of $20,000.

Griese's 2000 salary is $358,000, meaning he could be fined $10,529 if the commissioner should make a ruling before season's end. Griese is not yet under contract for the 2001 season.

The toughest part, perhaps, is that Griese will be placed on probation by the NFL. He will be required to give up to 10 random urine samples each month. If any trace of alcohol is found, Griese could be docked four weeks worth of pay. If it happens again, he would face a four-game suspension, then a year suspension.

Linebacker John Mobley, who pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in 1999, has faced those tests the past two seasons.

Griese said his arrest may serve to to open people's eyes about the fine line between having a couple of drinks and driving drunk.

"Hopefully by taking responsibility, I might be able to bring some awareness to some people that the law doesn't discriminate," Griese said. "It doesn't discriminate between people that are out all night drinking and obviously shouldn't be driving and people that go to dinner and have a few drinks and decide to drive home. The law is the law, and if you're over the limit, you're going to be charged."

State Patrol spokesman Rob Marone said the arrest was part of the "Heat is On" campaign aimed at drunk drivers. Griese wasn't pulled over for anything but speeding, and was not part of a sobriety checkpoint, but the campaign's main focus is putting more troopers on the street, Marone said.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan didn't make any excuses for Griese.

"I know he wants to be a role model, and to have something like that happen to him is not a good reflection on him or the organization," Shanahan said. "I know he's disappointed. But knowing him, he's a stand-up guy and he's going to take what comes to him, and he understands the implications."

- John Branch may be reached at jbranch@gazette.com

Edited by Larry McFarland. Headline by Ray Evans

NFL discipline

NFL discipline Text of league's alcohol policy: The commissioner will review and may impose a fine, suspension, or other appropriate discipline if a player is convicted of or admits to a violation of the law relating to the use of alcohol. Absent aggravating circumstances, discipline for a first offense will generally be a fine of one-half (1/2) of one-seventeenth (1/17) of the amount in Paragraph 5 of the NFL Player Contract (the player's salary) to a maximum of $20,000.