Former Ohio State All-American and NFL player Kirk Barton has been charged with a felony after allegedly driving drunk and causing a crash that killed another motorist.
Barton, 40, is charged with a second-degree felony count of aggravated vehicular homicide as the result of operating a vehicle under the influence, according to a local TV report..
Court documents obtained by NBC4 indicate that Barton was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road before the crash. Police on the scene testified that he had slurred speech and an odor of alcohol.
Police added that Barton failed to answer basic questions and did admit to having consumed alcohol before driving.
Dublin (Ohio) Police say the crash occurred just before 3 a.m., with Barton suspected of driving a Ford F150 Raptor pickup truck at a high rate of speed and hitting another car.
The driver of that Lexus, 24-year-old Ethan Wence Perry, died on the scene.
Barton played college football at Ohio State from 2003 to 2007, earning national recognition as a 6-5, 300-pound offensive lineman. He was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2008 and over the course of his three-year pro career had turns with the Dolphins, 49ers, Bengals, Lions, Broncos and Panthers.
NBC4 reports that Barton - who sustained minor injuries in the fatal crash and was later released from a local hospital and into police custody - has been charged with multiple traffic-related offenses in the past.