Bruce Smith convicted of DUI
Former Bills star appeals
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Former Buffalo Bills star Bruce Smith was convicted of drunken driving Thursday by a judge who rejected his claim that old football injuries, not alcohol, were responsible for his poor performance on field sobriety tests.
Smith declined to answer reporters' questions after his trial in Virginia Beach General District Court. He promptly appealed the verdict to Virginia Beach Circuit Court, which set a hearing in the case for Aug. 27.
"We just hope for a better result in appealing," Smith's lawyer, Larry Cardon, told reporters.
Smith also was convicted of speeding and refusing to take an alcohol breath test. Judge Teresa McCrimmon gave Smith a 90-day suspended jail term and fined him $350 for DUI. She also suspended his driver's license for a year for refusing the breath test and fined him $90 for speeding.
The appeal is scheduled less than three weeks after Smith's Aug. 7 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Smith, 46, ended a 19-year career with the Bills and Washington Redskins as the NFL's all-time sacks leader. The defensive lineman played in 11 Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection nine times before retiring after the 2003 season.
Cardon said during the trial that 11 knee surgeries during Smith's career made it difficult to complete sobriety tests that included walking a straight line heel-to-toe and standing for 30 seconds on one leg. Smith was stopped on Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach in May.
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