Texas pro football fans may be interested to learn that Michael Floyd, a current New England Patriot who was playing for the Arizona Cardinals when he was accused of driving under the influence, could also be facing a multi-game suspension in addition to legal consequences. This suspension is due to the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
The substance abuse policy states that a player who is convicted of a first offense drunk driving offense will be suspended without pay for two games. The commissioner could potentially impose harsher punishments if it is found that there are aggravating circumstances, such as extreme intoxication, serious injury or if there were deaths involved. There are aggravating factors in Floyd’s case, including being previously taken into custody for drunk driving with a BAC of .19 percent while in college.
In 2016, Floyd was taken into police custody with a blood-alcohol concentration of .217 percent. Since he pleaded guilty to the incident, he was sentenced to 24 days in jail and will also have to serve 96 days of home confinement. These consequences will already have the receiver miss most of the offseason practices unless he can get a work-release provision.
Because a drunk driving conviction can prevent a person from being able to work and make an income, it is important that an attorney work to protect the defendant’s rights. Immediately following the suspension of the person’s driver’s license, the attorney may assist with requesting a hearing to allow the person to fight the suspension while the rest of the case is still ongoing. If there is evidence that authorities did not follow proper procedure when taking the person into custody, the attorney may work to have the charges reduced or even dismissed.
Source: Pro Football, “Michael Floyd’s DUI guilty plea could lead to enhanced suspension“, Mike Florio, Feb. 17, 2017
