Tony La Russa’s first DUI-related run-in with the authorities happened in 2007. At the time, he was serving as the team manager for the St. Louis Cardinals.
As for what exactly went down, arrest footage published by Palm Beach Post shows that officers on duty found an idling vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, with the driver sound asleep. Soon after officers woke the driver, one recognized him. “You know who this is? This is La Russa,” he announced. La Russa went on to explain to the officers that he was merely exhausted and would pass a sobriety test. However, he ended up failing both a field test and a breathalyzer. Even so, as seen in footage from his interview at the station shared by WPBF 25 News, he maintained that he hadn’t had more than two glasses of wine to drink. “[I] had a long, long day, and I’m tired. That’s my explanation,” he told the officer.
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Nonetheless, the officer reminded La Russa that — based on the tests taken — he was over the legal limit. “It is what it is,” he explained. The baseball manager was ordered to undertake community service, attend an alcohol education program, and pay a fine. He was also sentenced to six months of probation.
