Pittsburgh Steelers and former UGA receiver Hines Ward was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol early Saturday on Buford Highway in DeKalb County.
According to DeKalb police, Ward was stopped about 2:30 a.m. on Buford Highway near Briarwood Road after an officer noticed his Aston Martin failing to maintain lane and hitting a curb.
Ward failed a field sobriety test, and refused to take a breathalyzer test. He told officers he been at a downtown club, and had had two drinks.
According to police, a passenger in Ward’s car had not been drinking, and he was allowed to drive the car instead of it being impounded.
Ward, who police said was cooperative during the traffic stop, was taken to the DeKalb County Jail.
DeKalb County Jail records indicate that Ward, 35, was booked into the jail at 3:41 a.m, and later released on $1,000 bond.
Jail records show Pittsburgh as Ward's current hometown, but he also has a home in Sandy Springs.
Reached there Saturday afternoon, Ward told the AJC that he was "with my family right now, so I can't talk right now. I'll put out a statement later today."
Ward's agent and manager, Atlanta attorney Andrew Ree, released the following statement Saturday afternoon:
"On July 9th Hines Ward was stopped by Dekalb Co. police for suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence. He cooperated fully with the police and truthfully answered all of their questions. We are currently in the process of ascertaining all the facts. 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. However, Hines is deeply saddened by this incident and apologizes to his fans and the Steelers organization for this distraction."
The arrest wasn't Ward's first on serious traffic charges in DeKalb. According to online court records, Ward was charged with speeding and reckless driving in April, 2006. Records show that he paid a $1,350 fine after pleading guilty to speeding, and that the reckless driving charge was dropped.
On Friday, Ward posted on his Facebook page that he is "bad" about texting while driving, and asked his fans to help him overcome that habit.
"How many of you guys and gals text while driving?" Ward asked on Facebook. "I am bad at doing that. It's very unsafe. Help remind me from time to time to stop texting, tweeting, or facebook while driving. Let's help each other!"
While at the University of Georgia from 1994-97, Ward had 149 receptions for 1,965 yards -- second in team history.
He was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft.
In 2006, Ward was named the MVP of Super Bowl XL after catching five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 21-10 win.
In May, Ward won season 12 of the amateur dancing show, Dancing With The Stars.
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