Barkley "sorry" for DUI

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3917107

prepared to return to his television gig after a six-week leave of absence.



Barkley

Barkley had a blood-alcohol level of .149 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of .08 percent in Arizona, after the 45-year-old former NBA star was arrested Dec. 31 in Scottsdale.

He will resume his studio analyst role for TNT on Thursday.

"This is just my bad, no excuses," Barkley said in an interview with TNT colleague Ernie Johnson posted on NBA.com Wednesday.

"I think that a DUI is unacceptable," he added. "That can't happen and I've got to challenge other people, not just celebrities or jocks. You have to really think before getting behind the wheel after you've been drinking."

Barkley conceded he may face jail time. He indicated that the case will be resolved by plea agreement and expected to undergo alcohol counseling.

"I think it's going to be good for me, to be honest. I need to make sure drinking is not a problem for me," he said. "I just want some professionals to talk to me about it."

If they tell him to stop drinking, "then I'll have to stop drinking," he said.

Asked if he could do that, he replied, "I feel I can do anything that I put my mind to."

Barkley apologized to his family, employer and the league, saying he had embarrassed them. He thanked a long list of friends -- including Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Moses Malone -- for checking in on him.

He vowed he would start using a driver when he goes out in public and would not get behind the wheel after any drinking.

"I let so many people down," he said. "It just [stinks] watching the shows and not being there. I screwed this up."


Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

T-Mobile drops Sir Charles Barkely

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2009/01/t-mobile-decide.html

Dwyane Wade no longer needs to keep his cell phone on vibrate. Charles Barkley won't be calling any time soon.

T-Mobile disconnected Barkley's "Fave 5" commercials with a statement saying that "given the recent developments" Sir Charles' spots no longer will air.

Barkley was charged with DUI in Arizona after a Dec. 31 arrest and is alleged to have had a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit. Also, according to the police report, Barkley shared a little too much personal information, saying he was on the way to a 1:30 a.m. tryst with a woman he had just picked up.

If T-Mobile had a 900-number campaign working, maybe Barkley would still have a job. As it is, a company spokesman said of Barkley's future that, "As he works through his personal matters, we will evaluate where to go from here."

AdAge.com also notes Barkley is on leave from his TNT commentary gig and quotes Turner Sports president David Levy saying: "This is an important time for Charles as he deals with the legal and personal issues that confront him. Charles is a valued part of the Turner Sports organization, and we are concerned for his well-being."

Posted by Tom Weir at 09:56 AM/ET, January 14, 2009 in NBA | Permalink

Sir Charles Barkley arrested - I wonder will he blame whitey lol

Barkely blames the "white man" for almost everything else. It seems Sir Charles was sipping the ole' tub water last night...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081231/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_charles_barkley_arrest

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Charles Barkley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early Wednesday.

An officer with a law enforcement task force that targets drunken driving saw the former NBA star run a stop sign around 1:30 a.m., said Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler.

Barkley, 45, failed standard field sobriety tests after the officer smelled alcohol on him, and he was arrested. Barkley declined to submit to a breath test but was given a blood test. The results weren't immediately available.

After Barkley was processed, he was cited and released. His car was impounded and he left in a cab, Shuhandler said.

Shuhandler said Barkley was cooperative, and that it is customary to release people after they've been arrested on suspicion of DUI.

"There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody," Shuhandler said. "He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else."

Barkley was arrested in Scottsdale's Old Town area, one of the trendiest spots in the Phoenix metro area.

A television commentator for NBA games, the former Auburn player was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame last month.

He played 16 NBA seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, and played on the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams. Barkley was an 11-time NBA All-Star and league MVP in 1993.

Selected one the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.