Marcus Maye was set to appear in Florida court this week, but his jury trial has been rescheduled again — for the same date as a Saints-Chargers joint practice session:
New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye was set to appear in Florida court this week for his February 2021 DUI charge, but his jury trial has been rescheduled yet again. As first reported by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Broward County court records show that Maye’s next hearing will occur on Aug. 17 regarding a change of plea — originally, he pleaded not guilty.
That new court date is scheduled at the same time as a joint practice between the Saints and the Los Angeles Chargers (before their Aug. 20 preseason game), so Maye will miss some time at practice attending to his legal proceedings. The Saints and Chargers will practice together Aug. 17 and 18.
It’s taken a long time for this to play out. Drew Brees was still the Saints quarterback when Maye was first charged in Fort Lauderdale, and Maye had not yet signed with New Orleans. But a series of delays and rescheduled hearings has occurred in the case.
Will this impact Maye’s 2023 availability? The NFL has set a precedent for waiting until the legal process concludes to issue its own discipline, but Maye will likely face a three-game suspension once this has wrapped up. If he reaches a resolution on Aug. 17, the league may issue a suspension to start the regular season, though it’s possible they could wait longer and hand down discipline once the season has already started. Stay tuned.
Report: Henry Ruggs III to plead guilty to 2 counts in fatal crash
Justice often moves slowly. In the case of Henry Ruggs III, the former Raiders first round pick, it’s been a year and a half since the car crash in which he was allegedly traveling at a rate of 156 miles per hour and plowed into the back of another vehicle resulting in the death of 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her Golden Retriever Max.
Today we approach a conclusion to the case, with Ruggs expected to plead Guilty to DUI Resulting in Death and Misdemeanor Vehicular Manslaughter. This according to a report by ESPN. The official plea will be made May 10 in a Las Vegas courtroom.
The plea agreement carries with it a sentence of three to ten years in the Nevada State Prison.
Initially the case the state brought included two counts of reckless driving along with DUI causing substantial harm which was with regard to the injuries sustained to his girlfriend who was in the car with him. If convicted on all those charges, his sentence carried up to 50 years in prison.
Those charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
Ruggs blood alcohol level at the time of the crash is not known, as he refused to take a field sobriety test. However, when he took one two hours later, it was still twice the legal limit.
Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was arrested Tuesday morning in Las Vegas on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Through the course of the investigation, officers determined that Lynch was impaired and conducted an arrest. Lynch was transported to the Las Vegas City Jail and booked for driving under the influence. (2/2) Event: LLV220800034519
Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has been booked into jail on suspicion of driving under the influence in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Per the Las Vegas Police Department, he was pulled over and arrested on suspicion of impairment. Lynch was then transported to the Las Vegas City Jail and booked on the charge.
According to TMZ Sports, Lynch did not submit to a breathalyzer but did have his blood drawn.
Just yesterday, the Seahawks announced Lynch would be acting as a “special correspondent” for the team later in the season.
New Saints safety Marcus Maye is recovering well from an Achilles injury, but he’s facing a possible suspension following a 2021 DUI charge:
Well this puts a dampener on things. The New Orleans Saints are going to get a good player once Marcus Maye is medically cleared from his Nov. 2021 Achilles injury; NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the expectation is Maye will be ready to go in training camp. Maye agreed to sign a three-year contract valued at up to $28.5 million with New Orleans once he becomes a free agent on Wednesday, March 16 at the start of the new NFL fiscal year.
Unfortunately, health is only half of the issues with Maye’s availability. Maye is also facing potential NFL discipline stemming from a Feb. 2021 arrest in Florida, in which he was charged with driving under the influence. Six weeks later he was charged with driving with a suspended license. Court proceedings have been slow, with his latest appearance rescheduled for June 1.
The precedent for a DUI-related suspension suggests Maye could be suspended two or three games during the 2022 season, as was the case for Saints wide receiver Deonte Harty in 2021 (who missed three games) and defensive back P.J. Williams in 2019 (who missed two). These suspensions are typically not handed out until the court hands down its judgment, so it may take a while to clear up. That’s disappointing, but hopefully the 29-year-old learned from the experience and will avoid finding trouble moving forwards.
Here’s what head coach Pete Carroll said about Smith at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine yesterday.
The trade speculation regarding quarterback Russell Wilson will continue to dominate this offseason for the Seattle Seahawks, but the team is reportedly looking to bring back his backup from last year as well.
Here’s what head coach Pete Carroll said about Geno Smith at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine yesterday.
Pete Carroll says the Seahawks want to re-sign veteran Geno Smith for another season as Russell Wilson's backup quarterback. The coach says Smith's case of alleged DUI, driving 96mph in Bellevue in January is likely to run its course this offseason.
Smith first saw the field for Seattle in Week 5 after Wilson suffered his gruesome finger injury. He initially played well, but he struggled in the ensuing weeks leading up to the team’s 31-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, he dug himself into a particularly deep hole with his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence in January, which he is currently under investigation for.
The Seahawks find themselves in need of a decent backup for next season, but whether or not Smith will be in blue and green again will most likely depend on the outcome of his legal issues.
How am I supposed to chip with that going on, Doug?
Picture this: It’s a sunny Tuesday afternoon in Florida and you’re on the golf course just after 1 p.m. You just grabbed a hot dog at the turn so life is pretty good. Next thing you know you’re standing over your ball and an SUV comes flying down the middle of the fairway with police in pursuit.
To quote Shooter McGavin: “How am I supposed to chip with that going on, Doug?”
That was a very real situation earlier this week in Vero Beach, Florida, where Indian River County deputies charged 60-year-old Jodie Ann Harvey with DUI and assault after she drove through Grand Harbor golf course. The pursuit was caught on police dashcam and nobody was injured despite a few close encounters on the course.
Indian River County officers attempted to pull Harvey over, which led to a pursuit through a gate and on to a golf course. Harvey’s charges include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, DUI, two felony counts of criminal mischief, aggravated fleeing to elude and aggravated assault on an officer/firefighter/EMT.
Deonte Harris appealing 3-game suspension following offseason DUI
Well the hits start coming and they don’t stop coming. The New Orleans Saints could be without their best wide receiver if his appeal for a three-game suspension from the NFL is unsuccessful. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Deonte Harris is in the process of appealing a suspension that would sideline him for three games, following the closure of his offseason DUI charge which resulted in a year of probation.
Harris leads the team in receiving yards (427) and has been their most consistent threat in the passing game, as well as their biggest weapon in returning punts and kickoffs. Losing him for any length of time is going to be a challenge to overcome given the state of the receiving corps.
But it’s something the Saints have planned for by signing slot receiver Malcolm Perry to the practice squad and trying out a group of free agents a few weeks ago. Everyone knew a suspension was coming following Harris’ offseason arrest. Now that the legal process has wrapped up, the NFL can move forwards with its own discipline.
Depending on how long the appeals process takes to unfold given the long holiday weekend, Harris could play next week against the Dallas Cowboys before being sidelined. But there’s little chance this suspension gets overturned given his cooperation in court. He’ll most likely end up serving the three-game suspension sooner or later — the only question is when, and how badly his absence hurts the team.
So this could be a problem. Deonte Harris was sentenced to a year of probation following an offseason arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol, per Amie Just of the Times-Picayune | Advocate. Now that his case has been closed, the NFL will be able to issue him a potential suspension.
The new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players introduced in 2020 extended first-time suspensions for DUI arrests to three games rather than two, which was the previous standard. The league typically waits until a case is closed to hand down a suspension which explains why no suspension has been announced for Harris yet. We’re going to have to wait and see.
It couldn’t come at a worse time for the Saints, who have seen Harris climb the depth chart to become their most dynamic receiver. He leads the team with 46.1 receiving yards per game while also ranking first in the NFL with 27.6 yards per kickoff return (and second in punt return yards at 15.6 a pop, though opposing teams have only given him 7 returnable tries).
This follows news that Michael Thomas will not play in 2021 after a setback from ankle surgery, and a loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which the Saints’ receiving corps dropped between 3 and 7 passes, depending on which stats service you prefer. They need Harris in the worst way, but his decision to drink and drive this offseason, putting himself and others at risk — and the subsequent arrest — are hurting them.
At this point we don’t know when Harris will be suspended. Here’s how the rest of the Saints’ schedule shakes out:
Former Alabama WR suffered non-life threatening injuries, will be charged with DUI resulting in death
Former Alabama star wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was a speedy fan-favorite while with the Crimson Tide. He was on the team alongside three other first-round receivers: Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.
Ruggs was drafted No. 12 overall in the 2020 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders and has been a consistent starter for the team.
Today, it was first reported by TMZ that Ruggs was potentially involved in a bad car accident. The Las Vegas Metro Police department has since released a statement confirming his involvement, adding that he will be charged.
The crash took place early in the morning and involved a Chevrolet Corvette, driven by Ruggs, and a Toyota Rav4.
Metro police have identified Ruggs as the driver of the vehicle that caused the crash, resulting in the death of one. He did not flee the scene, but showed signs of impairment.
He is reportedly being treated at a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Ruggs will be charged with a DUI resulting in death.
Statement from @LVMPD on Raiders’ WR Henry Ruggs III, who was involved and charged with DUI resulting in death: pic.twitter.com/XldopvtClj
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the story and publish any updates provided.
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“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at my past and realize that I have a long history of a battle with alcohol.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — The CEO of the company that runs the Flagler Beach municipal golf course was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in prison for felony driving under the influence, two years after he was found hunched over the wheel of a golf cart smelling of alcohol.
Terrence McManus, 56, is the CEO of Flagler Golf Management, which runs the city’s nine-hole Ocean Palm Golf Course since leasing it in 2015. The lease runs for 15 years.
McManus, who still faces a charge of insurance fraud in an unrelated case, pleaded with Circuit Judge Christopher France to send him to an 18-month-long inpatient treatment center in Orlando for substance abuse instead of prison.
“I’m begging for it,” McManus said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at my past and realize that I have a long history of a battle with alcohol.”
On Tuesday afternoon, McManus had turned down an offer from prosecutors to serve two years in prison followed by three years of probation for both the driving under the influence as well as the insurance fraud case.
McManus’ defense attorney, Matthew Maguire summoned a therapist, Drew Breznitsky, to the witness stand at the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell. Breznitsky testified that McManus suffered from PTSD and alcohol, cocaine and cannabis use disorders.
McManus testified he had been raised by a single mother and had a difficult early life but had been doing better until his arrest. He said he has a growing family with a daughter attending law school and a son serving in the Marine Corps.
Frank Fernandez/Daytona Beach News-Journal
But Assistant State Attorney James Nealis recounted McManus’s criminal record dating back to a 1993 conviction for robbery and dealing in stolen property. Nealis also said that McManus was charged with driving under the influence in 2003 and 2007, driving with a suspended license in 2011, and with boating under the influence in 2017.
Nealis said McManus had not sought treatment after those cases.
“Mr. McManus, is it your contention that post-traumatic stress caused you to drive that golf cart that night?” Nealis said.
“It’s my contention that I wasn’t driving a golf cart that night,” McManus replied.
McManus said the golf cart was broken down or stuck in the sand and no one was driving it.
A jury decided otherwise and convicted McManus of felony driving under the influence and prior refusal to submit to testing.
Nealis said during his closing argument at the sentencing that McManus still was not accepting the jury’s verdict.
The case began when a Flagler Beach police officer found McManus hunched over the wheel of the golf cart at 1:32 a.m. on July 24, 2019. The golf cart was mired in soft sand in a construction zone in the 1700 block of South Oceanshore Blvd., which had been closed to traffic as crews repaired road damage from Hurricane Matthew.
McManus’s speech was slurred and he kept saying “sorry” to the officer. When the officer asked for his driver’s license, McManus handed over a credit card. McManus refused to provide a breathalyzer sample. McManus breath smelled of alcohol, according to the officer’s report. McManus had trouble getting out of the cart and had to hold onto it to stand, a report said.
The prosecutor said McManus had received breaks in the past and it was time he received prison time and asked he be sentenced to five years. The defense attorney asked the judge to impose probation, saying McManus was willing to plead in the other case so the probation could be even longer
Before sentencing, France asked McManus why he had not sought treatment for substance abuse. McManus said he couldn’t afford the treatment or that he was too busy tending to his businesses, including a real estate firm and a dock repair company. He said his business is suffering now and he is losing clients because he is in jail. He also said he was trying to separate himself in “an amicable way” from his lease with the city of Flagler Beach’s nine-hole golf course.
France adjudicated McManus guilty and sentenced him to 48 months in state prison for driving under the influence.
“The defendant for 22 years has been involved in incidents where he’s violated the law,” France said. The judge said McManus had the time and resources in the past to get the treatment he was now asking for.
France also sentenced McManus to 364 days in the Flagler County Jail on the prior refusal to submit charge. The terms are to run concurrently. McManus received credit for 107 days already served in the county jail.
McManus also was charged in 2020 with insurance fraud under $20,000, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and false report of a crime, a first-degree misdemeanor. McManus is accused of filing a false insurance claim for a skid steer, according to a report from the Flagler Beach Police Department. The machine looks like a small bulldozer.
McManus has a hearing on that case set for Nov. 2.
“It is what it is”
Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson said on Tuesday before the sentencing hearing that the city was waiting to see what happens with the fraud charge against McManus before determining what to do about his relationship with the city golf course. He said the DUI was not enough to fire McManus.
“It’s not grounds to terminate a contract or take any kind of action on the city’s part,” Whitson said. “But a fraud charge may potentially hold that option out for the commission.”
Whitson said McManus has appointed someone to act in his place as the golf course manager, which has been checked and is legal. He also said the city is looking at the status of the golf course’s liquor license.
“It’s raising our attention level and we are going to follow up,” he said.
The agreement with the city calls for McManus to pay the city after he clears expenses at the golf course, Whitson said. He said the city has an auditor examining operations at the city’s golf course.
“It’s an embarrassing situation and we are not proud of it,” Whitson said. “But it is what it is.”
