Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa made a point to let a police officer know he was a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame the night he was arrested and charged with DUI.
The latest detail of La Russa’s Feb. 25 arrest was reported by ESPN on Tuesday, citing the full arrest report from the Maricopa County (Arizona) Police Department. The report quoted La Russa asking the officer, “Do you see my ring?” and informing the officer, “I’m a Hall of Famer baseball person … I’m legit. I’m a Hall of Famer, brother.”
The arrest warrant stated that La Russa’s vehicle hit a curb near the Phoenix airport and was disabled. The officer put him through a field sobriety test and suspected La Russa was impaired. After originally refusing a breath or blood test, La Russa was taken to a processing station where a blood test later revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.095%, above the state’s legal limit of 0.08%.
In the criminal complaint filed on Oct. 27 — the day before he was named manager of the White Sox — La Russa was charged with two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
It’s the second known drunken driving arrest for La Russa, 76, who pled guilty in 2007 to a misdemeanor DUI in Jupiter, Florida, while managing the St. Louis Cardinals.
The White Sox have stood behind La Russa, and a spokesman said the team was aware of the pending charges when La Russa was hired to replace fired manager Rick Renteria.
Renteria led the White Sox to a 35-25 record and a playoff berth this season, but he was fired on Oct. 12. Renteria is one of three finalists for the AL manager of the year award, which will be announced Tuesday night.
