Falcons running back Michael Turner apologized for his early morning DUI arrest, which came hours after he helped his team to a Monday Night Football win over the Broncos.
“I’d like to apologize to Mr. [Arthur] Blank, Thomas Dimitroff, Mike Smith and the whole Falcons organization and the fans out there for the situation that I’m in right now,” Turner said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It was a bad decision on my part. I can’t say too much about it in detail right now. I’m just trying to move forward from here.”
The perfunctory part of the conversation behind him, Turner said he had no good explanation for the incident, which is the Falcons’ second from a post-game celebration. Lawyer Milloy was also busted in a similar case in 2008.
“Any time that you’re in a situation like this you don’t want this to happen,” Turner said. “You try to keep a clean slate throughout your whole life like everyone else. Unfortunately, this happened and I just have to move forward.”
He’s lucky he’s able to. Turner was clocked doing 97 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 85, which is dangerous if you haven’t had anything to drink.
Turner said he talked to his father and Falcons coach Mike Smith after he was taken to jail.
“Disappointment,” Turner said when asked about the tone of those conversations. “I don’t think that anybody is more disappointed than myself. I just have to man up, talk to everybody and face it.
“I’m just taking it day by day. I’m around the guys right now and they are keeping me encouraged and telling me to keep my head up and take it day by day.”
Turner ran 17 times for 42 yards Monday night, and was apparently (and hilariously) asked if going out for a drink was related to his slow start.
“I never really thought about it like that,” Turner said, and rightfully so. “I’m just going to go out there and play hard. Play hard for my teammates and do everything that I can to help my team win.”
He could start by calling a cab next time.