(670 The Score) White Sox manager Tony La Russa will have to pay a $1,300 fine, perform 20 hours of community service and serve one day of home detention after a judge Monday approved the reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless driving following La Russa’s arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence in the Phoenix area in February, La Russa’s attorney said.
The reason La Russa, 76, had his charge reduced from DUI was because he was over the legal threshold by a “small amount,” attorney Larry Kazan said. Kazan had submitted the plea agreement for reckless driving on behalf of La Russa on Dec. 9. In the incident, La Russa crashed his vehicle against a curb and was found to have a .095 blood alcohol concentration, according to a police report. The legal limit is .08.
"I brought this on myself," La Russa said in a media call after the resolution of his case Monday. "I know it. I feel deep remorse and regret over what I did. It's impossible to explain how daily and deeply this gets at you and bothered me for a long time.
"I am grateful the White Sox are standing by me. Even though this happened before they hired me, I really feel like I let them down and many others -- my family, friends. And starting out in Chicago, I let the fans down."
After a delay in part due to COVID-19, the original DUI charge against La Russa was formally filed on Oct. 28, a day before the White Sox announced the hiring of La Russa, who also pled guilty to a DUI charge back in 2007 while he was managing the Cardinals.
Following the resolution of La Russa's case, the White Sox released a statement warning that there "cannot be a third strike" for him.
"With today's announcement, Tony La Russa accepted responsibility and has been held legally accountable for his poor behavior and the questionable choices he made last February," the team said. "The White Sox understand the anger and concern expressed by some about hiring Tony under these circumstances.
"Tony has expressed to us his remorse, and he understands he brought this on himself.
"We understand that people make mistakes and exercise poor judgment in life. In this case, Tony is fortunate his decisions that night did not injure himself or anyone else. We also believe people deserve the opportunity, at all points in their lives, to improve. Tony knows there is no safety net below him. There cannot be a third strike.
"Tony has a proud and productive history with the White Sox and Major League Baseball, which is why we are standing by him. He has done his job exceptionally well in the past. He has always shown an ability to inspire his players and to bring his teams to a championship level. We are confident that Tony will improve our team, while improving himself.”
La Russa added that he know it's his responsibility to prove himself to others after a bad start to his second managerial stint with the White Sox.
"This is not the way I wanted to start my relationship the second time around," La Russa said. "But I do appreciate the support I've received from everyone in the organization, including the players. I know I need to prove myself."