Cardinals linebacker Clark Haggans is taking advantage of the time off until training camp to serve some time.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Haggans is spending a spell as a guest of the Westmoreland County Prison to serve out a sentence for a past traffic offense. The county sheriff told the newspaper that Haggans reported to the prison to begin serving his sentence on Wednesday, but there’s no report about how long Haggans will be locked up or what offense triggered the sentence.
While we don’t know when Haggans is supposed to be out, it seems like a fair guess that we would have heard about this pending incarceration if if was likely to interfere with the season. Since we didn’t, we’ll still assume Haggans will be with the Cardinals when the gather for training camp.
Haggans re-signed with the Cardinals this month and he’s expected to be a reserve linebacker for them this season. It will be his fifth year with the Cardinals after spending the first eight years of his career as a member of the Steelers.
UPDATE: 3:28 p.m.: Haggans agent, Jeff Sperbeck, posted a statement on Twitter about the incident.
In the statement, Haggans explains he was at a concert, and drinking, when he got a call from a “panicked” babysitter saying his 5-year-old daughter was having trouble breathing. After trying unsuccessfully to find his wife/designated driver, he left for home, and was pulled over. Officers accompanied him home, he gave his daughter the medicine she needed, and then he was cited for a pair of moving violations. He’ll spend 48 hours, plus seven additional nights in jail as part of a plea agreement.
“In hindsight, I should have found another way home, and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Haggans’ statement read.