White Sox manager Tony La Russa has agreed to a guilty plea following his arrest for driving drunk in Phoenix last February, the Athletic reported.
La Russa’s plea agreement in Maricopa County Justice Court in Arizona calls for him to plead guilty to a charge of reckless driving instead of driving under the influence, the Athletic reported. Reckless driving is a class 2 misdemeanor. The agreement calls for the 76-year-old La Russa to serve a day in jail, but that penalty could turn into work release or home detention, the Athletic reported. La Russa has a hearing set for Dec. 21.
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.
After a delay in part due to COVID-19, the charge was formally filed on Oct. 28, a day before the White Sox announced the hiring of La Russa.
La Russa pled guilty to a DUI charge back in 2007 as well. The White Sox have declined to address La Russa’s legal outside of releasing a short statement acknowledging that the charge was a serious issue and saying he deserves due process.