ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose admitted Wednesday that his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit when he was arrested on suspicion of DUI earlier this month.
Rose was arrested March 11 on suspicion of DUI following an early morning car crash. News of the arrest did not break until this week.
According to reports, Rose refused a breathalyzer test (espn.com, 3/29/11), but volunteered “to undergo several voluntary roadside sobriety tests” (tmz.com, 3/29/11). Additionally, in statement released Wednesday, Rose said he “voluntarily submitted to blood alcohol screening” (jalenrose.com, 3/30/11).
Though Rose says he had not been “feeling impaired” that night, the blood alcohol tests showed that he was indeed above the legal limit. Rose apologized to his family, to ESPN, and to those who view him as a role model.
With a court date set for April 20, Rose said he is “[looking] forward to a resolution of the legal matter as soon as possible.”
In early 2009, TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley served a month-long leave of absence from the network after being arrested for DUI. It is not clear whether Rose will face such discipline. In an espn.com article on the arrest, an ESPN spokesman was quoted as saying the network was “looking into” the situation.
(jalenrose.com, tmz.com, espn.com 1, 2)
