Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Marshawn Lynch's DUI Trial Date Set

Originally posted on FanNation Bills Central
By Jonathan Alfano | Last updated 2/21/24

The DUI trial for former Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Las Vegas Municipal Court, according to CBS affiliate KLAS.

Officers found Lynch, 37, asleep in the drivers wheel of his unlicensed car on the morning of Aug. 9, 2022, with said vehicle being in "an undrivable condition." According to the arrest report, Lynch refused to take a breathalyzer test and instead gave a blood sample, which showed his blood alcohol level to be at 0.18, over twice the legal limit.

Lynch faces charges of DUI liquor and/or drugs, driving an unlicensed vehicle and failure to drive in a travel lane, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to.

Lynch's lawyers, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfield, argue that his case does not constitute a DUI due to him not actually operating the vehicle. However, Nevada law states anyone sitting in the driver's seat of a vehicle is deemed to be "in physical control" of the vehicle, regardless of other factors.

“While [the officer] claims to have ‘observed [sic] a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle, his person, and his breath,’ no evidence proves that Mr. Lynch drank anything or actually operated the vehicle on the night of the encounter,” Chesnoff and Schonfeld previously wrote in court documents, per KLAS.

Lynch faced multiple legal issues throughout his career as well. He pled guilty to a hit and run charge while with the Bills in 2008, causing his driver's license to be revoked. He was also arrested for DUI in 2012, but later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving two years later.

Lynch played with the Bills from his rookie season in 2007 to 2010, when he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Through his time in Buffalo, Lynch ran for 2,765 yards and 17 touchdowns.

This article first appeared on FanNation Bills Central and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: