Michael Turner. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner was jailed on charges of drunken driving and speeding early Tuesday, just hours after he scored a touchdown in the team’s win over the Denver Broncos.
Turner, 30, of Suwanee, Ga., was booked into the Gwinnett County jail in metro Atlanta just after 5 a.m. Turner spent barely two hours behind bars before he was released on $2,179 bond, jail records show.
A Gwinnett County police officer pulled over Turner’s black Audi R8 on Interstate 85 northeast of Atlanta after clocking the car’s speed at 97 mph — 32 mph over the speed limit, said Cpl. Edwin Ritter, a police spokesman.
“The officer made contact with the driver who identified himself as 30-year-old Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons,” Ritter said in a news release. “The officer could smell an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the driver and proceeded to conduct a DUI investigation.”
No other details were immediately available.
Hours before his arrest, Turner and the Falcons celebrated a 27-21 home victory over Payton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Turner scored the Falcons’ first touchdown after jumping over a pileup of Atlanta and Denver linemen in the first quarter. It was Turner’s 51st touchdown for the Falcons, a team he joined in 2008 after four seasons with the San Diego Chargers. Last year, Turner rushed for 1,340 yards and 11 touchdowns.
