Boston Red Sox prospect Drake Britton, a 23-year-old pitcher in his first major-league spring training, hit 111 mph on the radar gun — just not the one anybody was hoping for.
A speeding, intoxicated Britton took Florida authorities on a early-morning chase and was eventually arrested for DUI and reckless driving.
Here are all the unfortunate details, via Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston:
The arrest occurred at 4:42 a.m. Saturday, on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway in Estero, which is adjacent to Fort Myers. According to the arrest report, Britton, who was driving a 2008 black Chevrolet Silverado (a pickup truck), was paced at a maximum speed of 111 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. zone. With a police car in pursuit, Britton's truck swerved in between other moving vehicles and jumped over a curb, continuing down a small decline and knocking down a barbed-wire fence, according to the police report. Britton then continued down a dirt road for a quarter of a mile and attempted to pull into a wooded area before coming to a stop. When the officer approached and asked for his license, Britton first handed him his debit card.
His debit card? Ouch. Maybe Britton knew this whole thing was going to cost him.
In a (non)-statement released Tuesday, the Red Sox said:
This is a matter that the Red Sox take very seriously, and it is being addressed. The club will not make further comment on this matter.
It's the second embarrassing incident for a Red Sox prospect this season. You might recall when Bryce Brentz shot himself while cleaning his gun. Britton's DUI also comes not long after Todd Helton's bizarre DUI and hilarious mugshot.
Baseball's "DUI problem," as some have called it, has become a thing to campaign against in recent years. Incidents involving Mark Grace, Shin-Soo Choo and various other players have grabbed headlines.
But this? DUI and driving 111 mph? It's far worse than Helton going to the store to buy some lottery tickets. It's beyond the "mistake" category. It's reckless, selfish and completely irresponsible. Luckily, Britton didn't hurt anyone or anything other than his own reputation and career.
Case in point: He was supposed to start for the Red Sox on Sunday, but that didn't happen. Instead, he was sent down to Double-A. Let's hope that's the first of a few lessons Britton learns from this incident.
Spring training is here. Stretch out with us. Follow @MikeOz and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page.
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