Celebrity Drunks

Vincent Jackson, wide receiver for the Chargers, received his sentence in court yesterday. He had a conviction for DUI in 2006 and was still on probation for that one when he was arrested again with a BAC of 0.17% in January 2009, more than twice the legal limit. He was allowed to have his sentencing delayed until after the football season was completed, despite being arrested for driving with a suspended license after the second DUI.

His sentence for the second DUI? He will pick up trash along the highways for two weekends. It’s called “community service.”

Here’s the horrifying part; that is apparently the standard sentence for a second offense, even when committed while on probation for a first offense. From the San Diego Union-Tribune,

Jackson’s DUI sentencing was standard punishment for a second DUI, Casey [Jackson’s attorney] said. Court records show that Jackson didn’t get a jail sentence but is to serve 96 hours in a Sheriff’s work-release program, which in similar cases often constitutes roadside trash pickup over two weekends.

The NFL will likely suspend him for two games. The Chargers have made no comment other than at the time of his arrest, when they merely said that they would let the system deal with his issue. Since that time the coach and management have been praising his “work ethic” on the football practice field and his skill as a wide receiver.

Vincent Jackson’s statement after being arrested twice for DUI and a third time for driving without a license was in a radio interview,

“I’m sure that once it’s all said and done, we’ll definitely get the last laugh and hopefully our law enforcement will definitely continue to support us in the way that they have.”

I imagine that the deputies assisting him with trash pickup during his “community service” will ask for his autograph. I don't want his autograph, and I just hope that the next time he drives while blind, staggering drunk
the only person he kills is himself.