Hours after beating the Denver Broncos on Monday night, Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner was arrested and jailed on drunk driving and speeding charges.
The running back, who scored a touchdown in the 27-21 win, was booked into Gwinnett County jail at around 5 a.m. and was released on $2,179 bond a couple hours later.
According to ESPN.com, Cpl. Edwin Ritter, a police spokesman said an officer pulled over Turner's car, a black Audi R8, on Interstate 85 northeast of Atlanta after clocking him at 97 mph, which is 32 mph over the speed limit.
"The officer made contact with the driver who identified himself as 30-year-old Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons," Ritter said in a news release. "The officer could smell an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the driver and proceeded to conduct a DUI investigation."
Turner was arrested after failing a roadside sobriety test. The running back met with head coach Mike Smith on Tuesday to explain the situation.
"He knows that we are disappointed in the decisions that he made after the ballgame last night," Smith said.
Turner scored the Falcons first touchdown in the game and rushed for 42 yards on 17 carries. Atlanta plays the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, and will most likely have Turner in the lineup. Both teams are 2-0 on the season.
"First and foremost, any time a player sheds negatively on our football team and on our organization, we are very disappointed," coach Smith said. "This is a legal matter, and it's very well-defined how we have to proceed with it through the league, and we'll let this process run its course."
Turner played for the Chargers from 2004 to 2007, playing mostly as Ladanian Tomlinson's backup. In his first season with the Falcons, he rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns.
"There are certain parameters that are set in place by the collective bargaining agreement and the NFL and the NFLPA," Smith said. "Those guidelines will be followed in terms of what we can and cannot do. If there's going to be any internal discipline, that discipline will stay internally. That will be conversations that we have with Michael and the conversations that we've already had this morning."
The NFL usually waits for cases to process before handing out suspensions and punishment, but according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Turner most likely will not face suspension because this is his first offense.
Turner apologized on Wednesday, saying he made "a bad decision", according to the Associated Press. He also said he was sorry for the embarrassment to the team and expects to play on Sunday.
The Falcons running game has been weak so far this season, with Turner only gaining 74 yards in two games. His backups, Jason Snelling and Jacquizz Rodgers, have also struggled, getting only 13 attempts between the two.
It won't get easier on Sunday for the Falcons, since the Chargers have only allowed 83 total rushing yards in two games.
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