I recently blogged about professional athletes whose careers are winding down turning to alcohol and other drugs. This may be the case with former NBA star Loren Woods.
Woods made the stupid mistake of drinking and driving. He exacerbated the problem by trying to bribe the arresting officer.
The incident occurred when 33-year-old Loren Woods was driving erratically shortly before 4 a.m. in Tampa, FL. Everything about Woods’ behavior was erratic! This was reported in wtsp.com.
As the officer approached the vehicle, Woods reportedly exited and began walking away. The officer finally got Woods to stop and noticed alcohol on his breath, slurred speech and glassy eyes.
There was no card Woods refused to pay – including racism. Woods allegedly refused to perform a field sobriety test, saying such tests were biased against black people and that he would only do it if a black officer administered them.
He was arrested for DUI after repeatedly refusing to take the test as well as a breath test.
As Woods was taken into custody, the officer counted about $2,200 in cash that was on him and placed it on the hood of the police car.
"You want to take that?" Woods asked. The officer told him that it would be placed with his property to which he reportedly said, "I don't got no property. You take that and I jet."
After refusing a breath test a final time, Woods was taken to jail and charged with DUI and bribery of a public servant. His money was seized as evidence.
Woods played in the NBA from 2001 to 2008. Teams he played for include the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Miami Heat, the Toronto Raptors, and the Houston Rockets.
He currently plays in the Iranian Basketball Super League.
Sad story about a once glorified athlete. I hope Woods get counseling and takes a Florida alcohol and DUI class too.