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Braylon Edwards charged with DUI
New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards was arrested Tuesday on charges of driving while intoxicated after officers pulled him over because his SUV had excessive tinting on its windows, police said.
The 27-year-old Edwards was pulled over on the west side of Manhattan around 5:15 a.m., and officers noticed a strong smell of alcohol, said chief NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.
Edwards was given a breath test at the scene and another at a police station. His blood alcohol level was .16, twice the legal limit, officials said. There were four other people in the SUV at the time.
The Jets expressed their disappointment in the receiver in a statement from general manager Mike Tannenbaum on Tuesday.
"We are very disappointed in Braylon's actions this morning. The Player Protect program is in place for our organization to prevent this situation. Braylon is aware of this program and showed poor judgment," Tannenbaum said.
"We are reviewing the information with the league and will impose the appropriate disciplinary measures."
The Player Protect program provides a 24-hour driving service exclusively for professional athletes. The company also provides security, if requested, from current or former law-enforcement agents.
If a player wants a lift home, he can call any time and will be driven home in a luxury SUV or a Mercedes limo or an executive limo van.
The Jets, through their player development program, distributed leaflets on the program to every player on the team. It informs them they aren't charged for the service, that the club picks up the expense.
Edwards, who caught a touchdown pass and two-point conversion on Sunday in the Jets' victory over the New England Patriots, is currently in police custody and will be arraigned later Tuesday.
Edwards' attorney, Peter Frankel, refused to comment on his client's arrest.
"It's too early in the process to say anything at this point," he said outside the courtroom at the Manhattan Criminal Court Building.
Frankel has represented imprisoned former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress in his attempts to gain work release.
Ira Judelson, a New York City-based bail bondsman, was at the courthouse on Tuesday and indicated that he had been instructed to pay whatever bail is necessary to keep Edwards out of jail.
During his weekly spot on WFAN-AM on Tuesday morning, Jets wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said Edwards attended a Monday night event in support of Cotchery's nonprofit foundation benefiting underprivileged youth in Manhattan. Cotchery said several teammates were there, and the event ran from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. on Manhattan's west side.
It's not clear where Edwards was coming from when he was pulled over.
The Jets acquired Edwards, a former first-round pick out of Michigan in 2005, from the Cleveland Browns only days after he was accused of punching a man outside a Cleveland nightclub in October 2009. The victim was an acquaintance of LeBron James. Edwards pleaded not guilty at the time, but he ended up pleading no contest to misdemeanor aggravated disorderly conduct. He received probation and a $1,000 fine.
Edwards was required to make that plea in person, and it took him away from the Jets for a day as they prepared for a playoff game last Jan. 12. At the time, the Jets feared he would be slapped with a one-game suspension from the NFL, but they learned in late June that there would be no sanction from the league.
According to a league spokesman, DUIs are reviewed under the NFL's substance-abuse policy. There is no automatic suspension under any circumstances. The league isn't commenting on a possible outcome or specifics.
The first substance-abuse offense is not subject to suspension for a player, only a fine, which is half of a game check with a maximum of $50,000. It is not known if Edwards ever had a violation under the substance-abuse policy (the program is confidential) and if he would be subject to a suspension for a second offense.
The assault charge that Edwards previously had while in Cleveland is covered under the NFL's personal conduct policy and the two can't be used together against a player.
Edwards' big game Sunday was overshadowed by a taunting penalty he received after his touchdown.
On Monday, Edwards was chastised by coach Rex Ryan -- publicly and privately. In a team meeting, Ryan announced that he was prepared to give Edwards a game ball for his performance, but he decided against it because of the penalty.
"I love the way he played -- he was really into it -- but you're killing us," Ryan told reporters. "You can't put the team in that kind of jeopardy. I appreciate how passionate he is, but you don't want to be selfish. That's basically what that is."
Jets punter Steve Weatherford wasn't happy with his teammate's situation.
"It's obviously disappointing because he's a big part of our team offensively," he said on ESPN's SportsCenter on Tuesday.
This might be Edwards' final season with the Jets. In the offseason, he signed a one-year tender for $6.05 million, and he's due to become an unrestricted free agent in 2011.
The Jets were heavily criticized in the offseason for acquiring players with off-the-field issues. They traded for wide receiver Santonio Holmes even though he was facing a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He has served two games.
Also, they traded for cornerback Antonio Cromartie, whose tenure with the San Diego Chargers was tainted by paternity issues. At the time of the trade, in March, Cromartie had fathered seven children from six different women and was late on $25,000 in child-support payments. To help Cromartie, the Jets fronted him $500,000 of his $1.1 million salary.
If Edwards isn't active for Sunday night's game in Miami, the Jets would be without two of their top three receivers. They have only three other receivers on the roster, Cotchery, Brad Smith and David Clowney. They could look to re-sign veteran Laveranues Coles.
Source: AP
The 27-year-old Edwards was pulled over on the west side of Manhattan around 5:15 a.m., and officers noticed a strong smell of alcohol, said chief NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.
Edwards was given a breath test at the scene and another at a police station. His blood alcohol level was .16, twice the legal limit, officials said. There were four other people in the SUV at the time.
The Jets expressed their disappointment in the receiver in a statement from general manager Mike Tannenbaum on Tuesday.
"We are very disappointed in Braylon's actions this morning. The Player Protect program is in place for our organization to prevent this situation. Braylon is aware of this program and showed poor judgment," Tannenbaum said.
"We are reviewing the information with the league and will impose the appropriate disciplinary measures."
The Player Protect program provides a 24-hour driving service exclusively for professional athletes. The company also provides security, if requested, from current or former law-enforcement agents.
If a player wants a lift home, he can call any time and will be driven home in a luxury SUV or a Mercedes limo or an executive limo van.
The Jets, through their player development program, distributed leaflets on the program to every player on the team. It informs them they aren't charged for the service, that the club picks up the expense.
Edwards, who caught a touchdown pass and two-point conversion on Sunday in the Jets' victory over the New England Patriots, is currently in police custody and will be arraigned later Tuesday.
Edwards' attorney, Peter Frankel, refused to comment on his client's arrest.
"It's too early in the process to say anything at this point," he said outside the courtroom at the Manhattan Criminal Court Building.
Frankel has represented imprisoned former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress in his attempts to gain work release.
Ira Judelson, a New York City-based bail bondsman, was at the courthouse on Tuesday and indicated that he had been instructed to pay whatever bail is necessary to keep Edwards out of jail.
During his weekly spot on WFAN-AM on Tuesday morning, Jets wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said Edwards attended a Monday night event in support of Cotchery's nonprofit foundation benefiting underprivileged youth in Manhattan. Cotchery said several teammates were there, and the event ran from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. on Manhattan's west side.
It's not clear where Edwards was coming from when he was pulled over.
The Jets acquired Edwards, a former first-round pick out of Michigan in 2005, from the Cleveland Browns only days after he was accused of punching a man outside a Cleveland nightclub in October 2009. The victim was an acquaintance of LeBron James. Edwards pleaded not guilty at the time, but he ended up pleading no contest to misdemeanor aggravated disorderly conduct. He received probation and a $1,000 fine.
Edwards was required to make that plea in person, and it took him away from the Jets for a day as they prepared for a playoff game last Jan. 12. At the time, the Jets feared he would be slapped with a one-game suspension from the NFL, but they learned in late June that there would be no sanction from the league.
According to a league spokesman, DUIs are reviewed under the NFL's substance-abuse policy. There is no automatic suspension under any circumstances. The league isn't commenting on a possible outcome or specifics.
The first substance-abuse offense is not subject to suspension for a player, only a fine, which is half of a game check with a maximum of $50,000. It is not known if Edwards ever had a violation under the substance-abuse policy (the program is confidential) and if he would be subject to a suspension for a second offense.
The assault charge that Edwards previously had while in Cleveland is covered under the NFL's personal conduct policy and the two can't be used together against a player.
Edwards' big game Sunday was overshadowed by a taunting penalty he received after his touchdown.
On Monday, Edwards was chastised by coach Rex Ryan -- publicly and privately. In a team meeting, Ryan announced that he was prepared to give Edwards a game ball for his performance, but he decided against it because of the penalty.
"I love the way he played -- he was really into it -- but you're killing us," Ryan told reporters. "You can't put the team in that kind of jeopardy. I appreciate how passionate he is, but you don't want to be selfish. That's basically what that is."
Jets punter Steve Weatherford wasn't happy with his teammate's situation.
"It's obviously disappointing because he's a big part of our team offensively," he said on ESPN's SportsCenter on Tuesday.
This might be Edwards' final season with the Jets. In the offseason, he signed a one-year tender for $6.05 million, and he's due to become an unrestricted free agent in 2011.
The Jets were heavily criticized in the offseason for acquiring players with off-the-field issues. They traded for wide receiver Santonio Holmes even though he was facing a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He has served two games.
Also, they traded for cornerback Antonio Cromartie, whose tenure with the San Diego Chargers was tainted by paternity issues. At the time of the trade, in March, Cromartie had fathered seven children from six different women and was late on $25,000 in child-support payments. To help Cromartie, the Jets fronted him $500,000 of his $1.1 million salary.
If Edwards isn't active for Sunday night's game in Miami, the Jets would be without two of their top three receivers. They have only three other receivers on the roster, Cotchery, Brad Smith and David Clowney. They could look to re-sign veteran Laveranues Coles.
Source: AP