NFL receiver and former UGA standout Hines Ward mixed up letters when he was asked to recite the alphabet prior to his arrest on a drunk driving charge, according to the police report obtained by the AJC.
Ward, 35, was arrested early Saturday by DeKalb County police after he was stopped in the 3000 block of Buford Highway. A MARTA officer suspected Ward of driving drunk and followed the gray Aston Martin, which struck a curb and made several lane changes without signaling, the report states.
The MARTA officer called DeKalb police after stopping Ward, who allegedly had a flush face, red eyes and smelled of alcohol, shortly after 2 a.m. Ward allegedly said he'd had two drinks, with the last one around midnight, at the Buckhead Bottle Bar.
Ward submitted to field sobriety tests, but struggled to keep his balance, the report states. He allegedly told police he had recently had thumb surgery.
"Next I asked him to recite the alphabet from D to X, which he mixed up letters and omitted letters," the arresting officer said.
Ward submitted to an alcohol sensor test, but declined to provide a breath sample for analysis, police said. The sensor test is not the same as blood alcohol test, Mekka Parish, police spokeswoman, told the AJC. Ward was arrested and booked into the DeKalb County jail, where he was later released after posting $1,000 bond.
Ward's passenger, Corey Allen, was allowed to drive Ward's car home, rather than having it impounded. Ward and Allen were teammates while in Athens.
Ward was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft and was named MVP of Super Bowl XL in 2006. In May, Ward won season 12 of the amateur dancing show, Dancing With The Stars.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon through his agent, Ward denied the drunk driving allegation.
"From our preliminary investigation we can tell you that we are confident that the facts will show that Hines was NOT impaired by alcohol while driving," according to the statement. "However, Hines is deeply saddened by this incident and apologizes to his fans and the Steelers organization for this distraction."
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