Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson was arrested in Denver early Friday, January 23, morning around 1 am on suspicion of DUI. Lawson admitted to police officers that he had consumed alcohol before driving which led to his arrest.
Blair Shiff was the arresting officer and stated that Lawson was traveling 61 mph in a 36 mph speed zone. In his report Shiff notes that Lawson's speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot and watery. The report also mentions that Lawson refused to submit to a chemical test and was taken to the Downtown Detention Center.
Lawson has been having perhaps his best season of his career this season, averaging 16.7 points a game to go along with his 9.9 assists, nearly a double-double. He's been with the Nuggets ever since they traded for him back on draft night in 2009 and has been one of the bright spots for the team this season.
Denver Nuggets General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly released the following statement:
"We have been made aware of an incident involving Ty Lawson early this morning. Per team policy and out of respect for the legal process, we will have no further comment at this time."
This is not Lawson's first run-in with the law, as he was charged in 2013 with domestic violence against his girlfriend, Ashley Nicole Pettiford. That charge was later dismissed.
It's unclear at this point whether Lawson will participate in the Nuggets' game against the Boston Celtics Friday night, as the team has yet to comment on his playing status.
This is one of the first incidents that have occurred of a player getting in trouble with the law this season, and it'll be interesting to see how new NBA commissioner Adam Silver will respond. Many applauded in the manner in which Silver addressed the Donald Sterling situation and so how he handles Lawson's incident may set the tone for future cases.
