Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch accepted a plea deal in his 2022 DUI case on Wednesday, the same day his trial was scheduled to begin.
According to Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS, Lynch's case will be closed as a reckless driving offense if he meets certain conditions. The conditions in question include completing DUI school, a victim impact panel, an alcohol evaluation and 200 hours of community service, along with a full year of no further incidents. A judge has also ordered Lynch to pay a fine of $1,140.
“Mr. Lynch has not been convicted of any offense at his time,” Lynch's lawyers, Richard Schonfeld and David Chesnoff, said in a statement to local media. “He has agreed to complete certain requirements which will result in this case being closed as a reckless driving traffic offense.”
Lynch, 37, was arrested near the Las Vegas strip on the morning of Aug. 9, 2022, when officers found him asleep at the wheel of his car. The arrest report stated that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.18, over twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Lynch's attorneys previously argued that his case does not constitute a DUI, but Nevada law states that anyone in the driver's seat of a vehicle is deemed to be "in physical control" of it.
If Lynch does not complete the aforementioned conditions, then he will have to serve 179 days in jail, per Fox affiliate KVVU. The longtime Seahawk is scheduled to return to court for a sentencing hearing on May 21.
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