Lofa Tatupu, the Seahawks middle linebacker, three-time pro-bowler and recipient of $42 million dollar contract extension two months ago, was arrested on suspicion of DUI early Sunday morning in Kirkland.
As Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times reports:
Tatupu was arrested in Kirkland at about 2:30 Saturday morning after an officer observed his car driving at what the officer estimated was in excess of 50 mph in a 35-mph zone. Tatupu submitted to field-sobriety tests, but declined to take a portable Breathalyzer.
He was arrested, handcuffed without incident and taken to the police station. Tatupu was polite and cooperative throughout the process, according to the Kirkland Police Department. Tatupu's blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) was measured at 0.155 and 0.158, nearly double the legal limit of 0.08. That measurement was taken about two hours after Tatupu was observed driving the car.
This certainly isn't good for the Seahawks, who have a reputation as a team of wanting good, quality citizens on their roster.
But Tatupu did the right thing, quickly acknowledging his mistake and promising never to do it again. Here is the statement released by Tatupu through the Seahawks:
"I want to apologize to my family, teammates, the Seahawks ownership and organization, and the fans for making a poor decision and putting myself in a bad situation. I take seriously my role as a leader on this team, and in the community, and because of that I'm disappointed and embarrassed by the level of poor judgment I used last weekend. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. This will never happen again, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again."
So I ask you, how big of an issue is this? Certainly getting behind the wheel of a car with a BAC of over twice the legal limit is an awful mistake, compounded by the fact that Tatupu had four other people in the car. What kind of punishment, if any, should the linebacker receive from the Seahawks?
Personally, I believe Tatupu is a class act who made a brutal, brutal mistake. The public beating he's going to take is going to be substantial. He's a guy who the Hawks, and Seattle, look to as a leader on and off the field.
It will be interesting to see how everything plays out. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Hopefully, Tatupu has learned his lesson.
