Rose wraps up jail time in Detroit
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PONTIAC, Mich. (AP)
ESPN analyst and former NBA player Jalen Rose was released early Thursday from a suburban Detroit jail after serving time for drunken driving.
Rose, 38, was released from the Oakland County Jail after 16 days behind bars, the sheriff's department told The Associated Press. He reported to jail Aug. 2 to begin a 20-day sentence from a judge who's known for tough punishments.
Rose took to Twitter shortly after his release.
"Back on the block & the grind continues...Live. Love. Learn. & Leave a Legacy — THANKS to EVERYONE for the prayers & well wishes #Respect," he tweeted shortly after midnight, the first of a series of messages in appreciation of his followers' support.
Rose has apologized for his actions. James Burdick, a lawyer for Rose, said his client shouldn't have been sent to jail.
''He is the most hands-on socially conscious and charitable person I have known,'' Burdick wrote in an email. ''He is the last person, in my opinion, for the judge to have imposed her rule that everyone with DUI `must' be sent to jail.''
When he pleaded guilty in May to driving while intoxicated, Rose told District Court Judge Kimberly Small he drank six martinis before crashing his SUV in March along a snowy road in West Bloomfield Township.
Police said Rose failed field sobriety tests and a blood test later showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12, above the legal limit of 0.08. No one was injured in the crash.
Small, who is known for coming down hard on drunken drivers, lectured Rose for 15 minutes before delivering her sentence. She told him that jail time was the ''right punishment'' in his case.
Small routinely sends first-time drunken drivers to jail, and has said she believes that sends a message that it is a serious crime. Under Michigan law, first-time drunken driving is a maximum 93-day misdemeanor, but there is no minimum mandatory jail time.
Just hours after hearing his sentence, police said Rose was given a speeding ticket in the Detroit suburb of Clawson. Rose was clocked going 46 mph in a 25-mph zone, and was given a citation for going at least 10 mph over the limit, police said.
After playing at the University of Michigan as part of the Fab Five, Rose played for six teams during a 13-year NBA career, including six years with the Indiana Pacers. He currently works for ESPN as a pro basketball analyst.
Rose was suspended April 1 from his job at ESPN after failing to notify his bosses about the arrest. He returned to the air two weeks later at the start of the NBA playoffs.
NewsCore contributed to this report.