Former Seahawk Richard Sherman was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence related to an arrest from 2024, the second time he has faced a DUI charge, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The filing is a gross misdemeanor with a breath test refusal enhancement that could lead to a stiffer penalty, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office**.**
Sherman, 37, was pulled over by a Washington State Patrol trooper around 1:55 a.m. Feb. 24, 2024. The trooper reported his vehicle was going 79 mph in a 60 mph zone on southbound I-405, “bouncing back and forth within the lane it was traveling in.”
Sherman reportedly told troopers he drank two margaritas. He refused a breathalyzer but agreed to do some voluntary tests, according to the police report. Troopers said they observed signs he was under the influence and arrested him.
Troopers had to get a warrant approved by a judge to draw his blood. The sample, taken about two hours after he got pulled over, showed Sherman had a blood-alcohol level of roughly 0.11, above the state legal limit of 0.08.
According to county prosecutors, the charges were filed Tuesday, one day after the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office received the blood-test results from the State Patrol Crime Lab.
Charging decisions can be made any time within the statute of limitations, which is two years in this case. According to the statement, it’s not unusual for samples to take months to return from the crime lab, which has seen an increase in samples.
Sherman played cornerback for the Seahawks from 2011-17 as part of the franchise’s famed Legion of Boom secondary. He later played for San Francisco and Tampa Bay before retiring and embarking on a career in sports media that includes serving as an analyst for Amazon Prime Thursday night telecasts of NFL games in the fall.
Sherman previously was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence and four other misdemeanor charges, following an incident in July 2021.
Under a deal reached with King County prosecutors in March 2022, that case was resolved when Sherman pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor offenses while admitting to another traffic infraction — first-degree negligent driving, second-degree criminal trespass and speeding in a construction zone.
He was placed under court supervision for two years and ordered to attend a DUI victim panel.
Sherman’s next court date will be his arraignment, where an initial plea is entered, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. June 30 in King County District Court in Redmond.
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta covers the Seahawks for the Seattle Times. He provides daily coverage of the team throughout the year.