UPDATE: It just gets worse. Bush’s BAC was .180 following the accident. This article is downright sad, too. Asked by police if this was a wakeup call for Bush, he said “already been there, made comments “about having “a serious alcohol problem and said how he “will be unable to play baseball.”
UPDATE, Thursday, 11:48 PM: It gets worse. Much worse. According to a local NBC affiliate, Bush is responsible for a hit and run on a 72-year-old motorcyclist. “Literally the tire on the SUV ran over the driver’s head,” said a witness to the crash. “Without the helmet, the gentleman would have been dead instantly.”
Thursday, 11:39 PM: Matt Bush is again in serious legal trouble.
According to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune, the former No. 1 overall pick (by the Padres in 2004) was arrested Thursday evening in Florida for driving under the influence, driving with a suspended-or-revoked license, fleeing the scene of a crime with an injury and -- to top it all off -- property damage.
Bush has been trying to revitalize his career as a reliever in the Rays’ minor league system. But it seems likely that Tampa Bay’s decision-makers will opt to cut ties with him in the coming days.
The 26-year-old former shortstop has been in legal trouble throughout his professional baseball career. He was suspended shortly after being drafted by the Padres in ’04 for his role in a night club brawl in Arizona. And in the winter of 2009, he allegedly assaulted a couple of high school lacrosse players in the San Diego area while intoxicated:
Bush registered a 4.83 ERA and 77/27 K/BB ratio in 50 1/3 innings last season at Double-A Montgomery.
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