On the surface, the news that a practice-squad center was arrested for DUI won’t do much to undermine the stellar 2-0 start for the L.A. Rams. The circumstances of the arrest could.
Via KVTA.com, Simi Valley police arrested Aaron Neary on Sunday night for DUI and hit and run.
Neary allegedly crashed his vehicle into several stationary objects, including a bus stop sign, mailboxes, and a trash can. He then allegedly left the area.
But here’s where it gets interest: The incident occurred at 6:30 p.m. PT. The Cardinals-Rams game started at 1:05 p.m. PT, and it ended at 3:50 p.m. PT. Police allegedly measured Neary’s blood-alcohol concentration at 0.17 percent after his 6:30 p.m. PT arrest.
So how did Neary get his BAC from 0.0 to 0.17 in the two-and-a-half hours after the game ended? Unless he made a beeline for a local watering hole (or unless he wasn’t even at the game, given that Simi Valley is roughly 45 miles from the L.A. Coliseum), Neary may have been imbibing somewhere on team property. Which would be a major no-no.
Several years ago, the NFL banned all forms of alcohol on team property, premises, or transportation, primarily to avoid situations like this. In cases like this, it makes sense for the league to look into where, when, and how Neary ended up so far over the legal limit so close in time to his exit from the team facility.
The Rams have not yet responded to the question of whether Neary was with the team on Sunday for the game.