On Tuesday morning, news broke that two Portland Timbers players, Liam Ridgewell and Jacob Gleeson, had been arrested on DUI charges according to local news station, KPTV-KPDX. The report stated that the two had been involved in an accident with a friend of Gleeson's who was not arrested.
One day after the end of the season, trouble finds the Timbers again
Timbers captain, Ridgewell, was called by an intoxicated Gleeson on Monday night to pick him up after the latter had been involved in a vehicular accident with another car in his BMW. Lake Oswego Police Department then arrived on the scene after BMW emergency services had reported that one of the customer's had been involved in an accident (Gleeson). At the time of LOPD's arrival, they found Ridgewell at the scene who was also intoxicated and in his own BMW. According to the police reports, there was damage to Gleeson's BMW and that Gleeson, Portland's starting goalkeeper, was cited for reckless driving and reckless endangerment. Both players were then cited for refusing to take breathalyzer tests and were taken down to the police station by the arresting officers. Ridgewell and Gleeson both posted bail and left the station by the time the news report was published.
Where the Timbers stand on the matter
The Timbers released an official statement to KPTV-KPDX regarding the incident:
"The team is aware of the events that occurred last evening involving players Jake Gleeson and Liam Ridgewell and is in the process of gathering information on the matter. The team has been in close contact with the players, local law enforcement and the league office. The club will not have further comment until more information is available."
This will not come as welcome news to any Timbers fan after the way their season ended on Sunday afternoon, a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, missing out on the post season after winning the MLS Cup last year and also losing out on the Cascadia Cup. As the team's captain, more is expected from Ridgewell and most will feel that he should ensure that his teammates do not get into situations like this even though the season is effectively over. It remains to be seen what the Timbers will decide to do to both Ridgewell and Gleeson as the investigation is still on-going.
Quotes via KPTV.com