Filed under: Kings, NBA Police Blotter
Sacramento Kings assistant coach Mario Elie was arrested early Thursday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail at 2:08 a.m. PST and subsequently released after posting bail.Sacramento sports radio station KHTK was the first to report Elie's arrest, which the Kings organization later confirmed to local television station News 10. Elie, 47, won three NBA championships during his 11-year career as a player. He's in his fourth season as an assistant NBA coach, and his second with the Kings.
"I was pulled over last night on my way home for having a broken taillight. I had been out and had a couple of drinks. My blood alcohol level was slightly over the legal limit," Elie explained in a statement issued by the team. "I'm very sorry, embarrassed and disappointed for the position in which I put myself and team. Rest assured, it won't happen again as I take full responsibility for my actions."
Elie is the third person from the Kings organization to be arrested for drinking and driving charges in the last three months. Forward Antoine Wright, who has since been waived by the team, was arrested for suspicion of DUI on Nov. 4, and co-owner George Maloof, Jr. was arrested in Las Vegas for suspicion of drunk driving on Oct. 9.
Looking back further, Andres Nocioni was arrested for drunk driving in Nov. 2009 while a member of the Kings, eventually pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges and serving a two-game suspension from the NBA in March. And in Nov. 2006, Eric Musselman, then head coach of the Kings, was arrested on DUI charges. He also pleaded no contest, and was suspended two games by the NBA.
In a statement released by the team, general manager Geoff Petrie acknowledged the team's unfortunate recent history. "We are very concerned and disappointed in regard to Mario's arrest for DUI," the statement read. "This is an ugly form of history repeating itself. We expect better, knowing at the same time there are limits to how far you can go to protect people from themselves. In spite of all of this, we still respect Mario's right to due process."
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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/09/kings-assistant-mario-elie-arrested-for-dui/
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