Three days after the news initially broke, the White Sox on Thursday morning released a short statement on manager Tony La Russa’s charge of driving under the influence in an incident in February.
“As Tony La Russa’s attorney said in his statement, Tony deserves all the assumptions and protections granted to everyone in a court of law, especially while this is a pending matter,” the team said. “Once his case reaches resolution in the courts, we will have more to say. The White Sox understand the seriousness of these charges.”
The 76-year-old La Russa was arrested on suspicion of DUI in the Phoenix area in February but wasn’t formally charged until Oct. 28. A day later, the White Sox announced La Russa as their new manager in a move that drew skepticism across the MLB landscape.
During his arrest, La Russa flashed a ring at the police officer and said, “I’m a Hall of Famer baseball person,” ESPN reported. It's the second known DUI charge against La Russa, who pled guilty to such wrongdoing back in 2007.
La Russa was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 and has the third-most wins of any manager in MLB history. He has led teams to World Series championships three times.