Detroit Lions President Tom Lewand, who was arrested for DUI on June 25, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of operating while visibly impaired.
The Detroit News reports that Lewand was placed on probation for six months and fined $532. He will be placed in an outpatient recovery program and is not permitted to drink alcohol while on probation. Lewand has acknowledged that he is in “active recovery.”
At his hearing today, Lewand told the judge he had “several” vodka drinks before he was arrested. He initially lied to police and said he hadn’t had a drink in a year and a half.
Lewand’s blood-alcohol level was 0.21, far above the legal limit of 0.08.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will now decide on any discipline for Lewand under the league’s personal conduct policy. There’s already talk that players will be watching Goodell’s decision carefully, and expecting Goodell to deal with Lewand at least as harshly as Goodell deals with players who drive drunk.