Over 18 months after his arrest on suspicion of driving while under the influence, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith learned that he won’t face criminal charges, multiple outlets reported Thursday.
The King County (Washington) Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told ESPN, The Seattle Times and others that blood test results for alcohol and THC both came back below the state’s legal limits of .08 for alcohol and 5.0 for THC. Smith’s results were .038 and 2.6, respectively, ESPN reported.
Authorities blamed the lag in test results on a backlog of cases at the State Patrol Crime Lab.
The 32-year-old Smith, who is coming off career highs of 4,282 passing yards, 30 touchdown passes and a league-best 69.8 percent completion rate, was arrested Jan. 10, 2022. The arrest report indicated Smith was pulled over for allegedly driving 96 mph in a 60-mph zone and weaving across several lanes of traffic.
The league’s Comeback Player of the Year, Smith, reached agreement with the Seahawks in March on a three-year contract worth a base of $75 million and incentives worth another $30 million.
The Seahawks are his fourth NFL team in nine seasons, following four years with the Jets and one each with the Giants and Chargers. He won the starting job in Seattle after Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in the offseason before the 2022 campaign.
Smith has thrown for 11,199 yards and 64 touchdowns and 48 interceptions in 62 career games. He is 22-29 as a starter overall.
–Field Level Media