Louisville Metro Police arrested a former Louisville basketball star early Sunday morning for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Russ Smith, a member of the 2013 Louisville basketball team who won the NCAA Tournament that was later vacated, was stopped after police spotted him making a U-turn across multiple lanes and noticed his license plate tag had expired, the Courier Journal reported after viewing the arrest citation.
Police detected a “strong odor of alcoholic beverages” on Smith’s breath when they first talked to him, and he failed a field sobriety test after he told officers that he drank “two bourbon pours neat” before getting behind the wheel, according to the arrest citation.
The Queens native “swayed” when he stepped out of the car and failed a walk and turn test, WDRB reported.
Smith had a 0.073 blood alcohol content, but in the state of Kentucky, drivers can still be prosecuted if they have a BAC of above 0.04 but below 0.08 as long as there is other evidence to support the case.
“That fact may be considered, together with other competent evidence, in determining the guilt or innocence of the defendant,” according to the statute in the state.
A police spokesperson told WDRB that “we will allow the arrest slip to speak for itself,” when asked about Smith’s BAC.
Smith faces charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and having unregistered license plates.
He was released without bond and is due back in court for an arraignment hearing on June 11 at Jefferson County District Court.
WDRB reported that Smith is slated to play in The Basketball Tournament this summer, a winner-take-all tournament with a $1 million prize.
Smith played four years at Louisville, and he averaged 14.3 points per game.
He had brief NBA stints with the Pelicans and Grizzlies, as well as some time in the G-League and overseas. Smith played his high school ball at Archbishop Molloy in Queens