New York Jet's Dylan Donahue pleads guilty to DUI crash
New York Jets linebacker Dylan Donahue has pleaded guilty to DUI for an accident which took place in the February. Dylan was driving his Dodge Charger Hellcat the wrong way in the Lincoln Tunnel on Feb. 26 when he slammed into a jitney (a private bus) which was carrying 15 people.
Four people were reported to be hospitalized for minor injuries. A second bus had arrived after the incident to carry the remaining passenger to their next location. At the time of the incident, Dylan failed a sobriety test and didn't pass the breathalyzer. Due to this, he was placed under arrest for DWI. It has been reported that Dylan was initially hit with 4 charges.
However, TMZ reports that after striking a deal with the prosecutors, three of the charges were dropped in exchange that Dylan pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Dylan will have his license suspended for 3 months and along with this, he must have an ignition interlock device (which tests for alcohol on his breath) on his car for 1 year. He is also advised to complete a DUI education program.
At the time of the incident, as reported by ESPN, when Dylan was tested, his blood alcohol content was tested at 0.137. The legal limit is 0.08. Dylan was traveling with another passenger and the two reportedly had minor injuries as well. He claimed that the incident took place as he got distracted to check his phone.
When Dylan looked up, he saw the bus but could not hit the break on time to stop the accident from taking place. A police officer detected the smell of alcohol which led Dylan to confess that he had had "several alcoholic drinks earlier in the evening," as per the affidavit. He was transported to St. Vincent's Hospital, to get his blood tested which came back with the 0.137 reading.
Coach Todd Bowles, speaking to reporters two days after the incident took place said that he could not comment on the legal matter of a player. You've got to wait and see what the league does first before we do anything," he said. "So it's a legal matter now and we've got to wait our turn, see what happens and go from there." As for Dylan getting arrested for the same, he said, "That's not a good thing, that's not something we condone. We hope the people are all right in the other vehicle, but that's a pending legal matter."
This incident comes after Dylan played in only four games last season before suffering a season-ending elbow injury. He finished his rookie year with four tackles. While Dylan's injuries seem to have healed, the Jets are counting on him are counting on him for the next game.