By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
When will they learn?
Two months after former Raiders player Henry Ruggs III was accused of driving drunk and killing a 23-year-old woman in a fiery crash a few miles west of the Strip, another Raiders player was arrested by Las Vegas police and accused of DUI early Monday morning after the team defeated the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, according to media reports.
This time, it was Raiders defensive player Nate Hobbs, who was found asleep at the wheel on the Cromwell Hotel parking lot exit ramp near the Strip, TMZ first reported.
“He then failed a field sobriety test and was transported to Clark County Detention Center where he was booked for DUI,” NFL.com wrote.
This statement from Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia: “Certainly aware that Nate Hobbs is involved in an incident and we’re just trying to collect as much information as we possibly can on what exactly happened and what the situation is and where he’s at with that. That being said, that’s all I have really on that at this particular time because that’s all I know.”
Hobbs, 22, is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback out of Illinois. The Raiders picked him with the 167th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Hobbs has lawyered up, hiring the same lawyers enlisted by Ruggs. Lawyers David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, representing Hobbs, told TMZ, “The facts and circumstances related by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to the news media leave serious concerns that this does not qualify as a DUI under Nevada law.”
The Raiders play the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium Sunday at 5 PM in a prime time TV game on NBC. The winner makes the playoffs and the loser goes home.
We are very cognizant of the city in which we live in, so I’ll leave it at that and we’ll see what it looks like by the end of the week. — Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia
Bisaccia addressed the topic of distractions that have plagued the Raiders this season — a season filled with turmoil and adversity.
“As far as the distractions go, we’ve kind of learned how to deal with distractions around here. We are all certainly disappointed on the news. I don’t have all the facts yet. I’ll be able to comment I would think as the end of the week comes when I get more information about what is actually going to happen with that,” Bisaccia said.