Colts Punter Pat McAfee Arrested for Public Intoxication
Kickers and punters tend to be weird dudes.
Punter Pat McAfee of the Indianapolis Colts demonstrated that he is no exception to that rule. McAfee decided that since his team was on its bye week, it was time to let off a little steam. "Bye week bye week bye week. Time to get some ish done. Happy Tuesday Party people, I hope you're all kickin' todays ass," McAfee posted to Twitter that evening.
Fast forward a few hours to 5 a.m., when police were called to a popular nightlife district after he allegedly approached a red light with his shirt off and scared the driver. McAfee then reportedly went for a swim in a nearby canal.
When police arrived, they found McAfee soaking wet. They asked him if he had been swimming in the canal and he said that he wasn't sure and that he was wet because it was raining, though it wasn't. Officers then asked him how much alcohol he had consumed, to which he responded, "A lot, cause I'm drunk." An instant classic response.
As you read about public intoxication, you might notice that several articles have quotes like this:
"According to police, McAfee had a blood alcohol content of 0.15, almost twice the legal limit of 0.08."
This is a pet peeve of mine. Twice the legal limit of what? Walking down the street? Generally speaking, public intoxication has nothing to do with the legal driving limit of 0.08. For that matter, public intoxication is more than just being drunk in public. Public intoxication laws vary by jurisdiction, but in general, they are worded something like this:
It shall be illegal to be in any public place under the influence of intoxicating liquor (or combination of liquor and drugs), in such a condition that a person is unable to exercise care for his or her own safety or the safety of others, or by reason of his or her being under the influence of intoxicating liquor (or drugs), interferes with or obstructs or prevents the free use of any street, sidewalk, or other public way.
As you can see, public intoxication laws greatly differ from drunk driving laws. However, in the case of Pat McAfee, it's unlikely to matter much. Between his oddball actions and his unsolicited confession, it looks like he's going to be on the hook for this one. Fortunately for Colts punter McAfee, he has a career where his boss doesn't mind if he goes for some late night drunken canal swimming, so long as he can still kick a ball come Sunday.
Related Resources:
- Drug and Alcohol Offenses: Lifetime Consequences (FindLaw)
- Public Intoxication (FindLaw)
- Lions President Tom Lewand Pleads Guilty to Driving Impaired (Tarnished Twenty)
