Well here we go again. There are various reports now trickling out that Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown was arrested for driving under the influence late Friday night in Atlanta.
The Miami Herald, citing two unnamed sources, claims that Brown was pulled over and arrested during a trip to his hometown in Georgia. The initial pull-over was reportedly due to Brown changing lanes without using a turn signal.
The report also claims Ronnie is upset over the incident:
Brown is distraught over the arrest and he has hired an attorney to help defend him in the case, the sources said. He did not perform well during the field-sobriety test, which contributed to the officer's decision to arrest Brown, sources said. It remains possible the charges could soon be reduced to a traffic violation in the coming days. The arresting officer's detailed version of the arrest has not yet been obtained because it occurred during the weekend. Brown's agent, Todd France, did not return messages Sunday to comment on the arrest.
Ronnie has never had any previous run-ins with the law and has been basically a model citizen for his professional career. That's why it's believed that the Dolphins, though aware of the situation, are not "overly upset with Brown."
Still, it's frustrating and I'm sure this front office feels the same way. This team has had way too many legal issues over the past year or two. This latest one, though minor in terms of any punishment, is just another example of a Miami Dolphin acting irresponsibly.
I just hope that Ronnie learns from this mistake and he doesn't put himself in a similar situation ever again. With that said, I think this is going to turn out to be a non-issue in terms of any effect on the football field.
[Update: It's worth noting that the Sun-Sentinel has run a phone check of inmate records in eight surrounding counties of Cartersville (where Brown was reportedly arrested) and there's no record of a Ronnie Gene Brown being arrested. So let's see how this plays out.]