Former NFL player Marshawn Lynch resolves Vegas DUI case without a trial or conviction

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch resolved a drunken driving case without a trial or DUI conviction Wednesday, 18 months after police found him asleep in the driver’s seat of a damaged luxury sports car in Las Vegas.

A city judge accepted an agreement that did not involve plea, according to a court document and Lynch’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld.

Lynch, 37, agreed to attend DUI traffic school and pay a $1,140 fine and will avoid a misdemeanor DUI conviction if he completes 200 hours of community service, attends a victim impact panel, undergoes an alcohol evaluation and remains out of trouble for one year. Misdemeanor charges of failure to drive in a travel lane and driving an unregistered vehicle were dismissed.

The result will close the case as a reckless driving offense, his attorneys said in a statement.

Las Vegas city officials responded to a request for comment by providing a copy of Lynch’s signed written agreement.

Lynch was arrested early Aug. 9, 2022, after he was found sitting in an “undriveable” 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 at the curb of a downtown Las Vegas street. Police said the car had one front wheel missing and a badly damaged rear wheel.

In Nevada, a person in the driver’s seat can be deemed to be in physical control of the vehicle. Schonfeld and Chesnoff argued that Lynch had not been stopped by police while driving and the vehicle was parked so he couldn’t be charged with driving under the influence.

Lynch retired from the NFL in 2019 after 12 seasons, mostly with the Seattle Seahawks.

He was a five-time Pro Bowl pick, racking up 10,413 career rushing yards and 85 rushing touchdowns from 2007-19 with the Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders.