"It's been hard on us. We've been taking a limo everywhere."

[Thomas Veil]

MEDINA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns running back Reuben Droughns has been acquitted of drunken driving.

The 10-person jury in Medina Municipal Court deliberated for 35 minutes Tuesday before deciding Droughns was not impaired when State Highway Patrol Trooper Sam Crist pulled him over Nov. 1. A breath test showed Droughns had an alcohol level of .08, the state's legal limit.

Droughns, 27, was charged with failing the Breathalyzer test, driving under the influence and traveling 50 mph in a 35-mph zone. Prosecutor Matthew Lanier dropped the latter charges before the trial began.

Crist testified that he spotted Droughns speeding and weaving in traffic while driving in suburban Cleveland.

Droughns and his wife, Kellie, disputed the trooper's testimony that Droughns was weaving, and Droughns said he was unfamiliar with the speed limit in the area. Droughns said he drank three cocktails at a Halloween party that night.

Droughns, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Browns earlier this year, said after the verdict he was happy to get the charge behind him so he could concentrate on football. He rushed for 1,232 yards last season on 309 carries, scoring two touchdowns.

Kellie Droughns said the acquittal was a relief.

"It's been hard on us, hard on Reuben," she said. "We're taking a limo everywhere, even to the grocery store."

I don't know which smiley best fits that last sentence: , or . Probably all three.

I mean, I'm a Cleveland Browns fan, but I find that last statement just ridiculous! The poor babies!

Link

 

[dmw007]

Ya, I think that is the correct smilie Thomas Veil.


Poor guys having to take a limo everywhere.....imagine the pain and suffering that they must have endured.

 

[backupdrummer]

I took a limo once.




I still have nightmares.

 

[jadekitty24]

Wow. I know what it's like to suddenly be without a car. I'm either hoofing it or begging my loved ones for rides. To complain about having a limo take me grocery shopping?!? That is not rough. Not to mention, is it mandatory that all chauffeurs have to drive a limo? These snots couldn't have been driven in a normal car? Please. You have a limo escort you to the grocery store because your a pompous ass, not out of absolute necessity. Oy.
<done ranting...for now >

 

[Mr. Durden]

I chuckle at that statement as well. But then I stop and think, it would really suck to take a limo to the grocery store or whatever. The attention and ridiculousness of the whole thing must have been terrible. How they endured it I'll never know. And seeing as how the charges were basically bogus, I think they should sue the state for mental anguish. This has got to stop! Its gone too far!


And just to clarify, that was my best effort at sarcasm.

 

[jaxstate]

To be truthful, I bet it was hard. Who in the hell wants to take a limo to the corner store. Limo to take the kids to school, Limo to visit the Apple store, limo to ... It's just a waste of money, not that he's lacking anymore, but still.

???why didn't his wife drive???

 

[mcarnes]

???why didn't his wife drive???

Because she doesn't like the hookers. Ba-dum.

 

[apple2991]

???why didn't his wife drive???

And why did they have to be chauffered in a limo? I presume that as long as there is a licensed chauffer behind the wheel, they could "go to the corner store" in a Camry.

If it actually bothered them, that is.

 

[floriflee]

I'd be interested to know why he was acquitted. He admitted to drinking, but I'm just wondering how long between the last drink and the drive did he wait, and what the evidence was, etc, etc.

I WISH my problems consisted of HAVING to take a limo to the store just like I WISH I could be like Charles Barkley and shrug off 10 million dollars in gambling debt. Pompous rich people have it so easy....

 

[Johnny Rico]

Taking a car everywhere can get expensive quick. Not to mention the fact that they probably aren't talking about a stretch limo, a lot of car companies call towncars "limos" even though they're actually a sedan. I wonder if the driver helps them in with their groceries.

 

[Kingsly]

oh god, oh god... A limo? Oh god... Poor guys... I think we should pitch in and buy them a helicopter... Lets lobby the UN to make a new organization helping people who are forced to drive in limos all day.

 

[dmw007]

oh god, oh god... A limo? Oh god... Poor guys... I think we should pitch in and buy them a helicopter... Lets lobby the UN to make a new organization helping people who are forced to drive in limos all day.

Yes, they most definitely need a helicopter- a limo is just too tough for them
to put up with.

 

[dejo]

Wow, this is as bad as when the NBA's Allan Iverson said "I feel like if they want us to dress a certain way, they should pay for our clothes" when expected to buy new clothes and making over $14 million a year...

 

[sjpetry]

Because she doesn't like the hookers. Ba-dum.

Thank you. : )

 

[Thomas Veil]

Unless...

Now that I'm looking at that line for the third or fourth time...

Kellie Droughns said the acquittal was a relief.

"It's been hard on us, hard on Reuben," she said. "We're taking a limo everywhere, even to the grocery store."

...unless she meant, "We don't want to go through this again, so we're going to be taking a limo everywhere from now on."

In which case I would owe Droughns and his wife an apology, because she would obviously have been merely joking.

I don't know. Hard to tell from the way the article is written. But I'd be less than honest if I didn't point out that there may be more than one way to read that statement.

 

[sushi]

I took a limo once.




I still have nightmares.

You might have limophobia. Better see a doctor!

 

[Play Ultimate]

Granted taking a limo everywhere does not seem like much of a hardship. However, I wonder if it was on-hand 24/7 or on call like a taxi.

For perspective, an old engineer friend was driving home at night, made a left turn to come home and while turning left was hit be a motorcyclist without headlights on or a driver's license. Until the trial the guys life was one series of inconvenience after another. He took the bus 20+ miles to/from work (which in Los Angeles can mean 1+ hours) just so he would not drive. Getting a ticket for speeding/running a stop sign, etc. would just add fodder to the lawyer's case. And in this situation, it took 1+ years to get through court.

So yes, I agree, that a limo does not seem like a big deal. Losing your car mobility and the flexibility associated with can be, whether your in a limo or not. And just remember, a limo is nothing more than a fancy taxi.

 

[floriflee]

Unless...

Now that I'm looking at that line for the third or fourth time...

...unless she meant, "We don't want to go through this again, so we're going to be taking a limo everywhere from now on."

In which case I would owe Droughns and his wife an apology, because she would obviously have been merely joking.

I don't know. Hard to tell from the way the article is written. But I'd be less than honest if I didn't point out that there may be more than one way to read that statement.

Language is so ambiguous. It's certainly hard to tell what the intent was when there's no mention of how she said it (laughingly, jokingly, seriously, etc).

Wow, this is as bad as when the NBA's Allan Iverson said "I feel like if they want us to dress a certain way, they should pay for our clothes" when expected to buy new clothes and making over $14 million a year...

Perhaps this is one of the ways the rich stay rich? By having their "necessities" given to them for free??

 

[virividox]

same with latrell spreiwells comments on having to feed his family on his multi million dollar salary

 

[Gasu E.]

Taking a car everywhere can get expensive quick. Not to mention the fact that they probably aren't talking about a stretch limo, a lot of car companies call towncars "limos" even though they're actually a sedan. I wonder if the driver helps them in with their groceries.

I think so. My 85 year old, fixed-income, parents (no longer able to drive) call the "limo service" when they need to go shopping.

 

[Gasu E.]

Wow, this is as bad as when the NBA's Allan Iverson said "I feel like if they want us to dress a certain way, they should pay for our clothes" when expected to buy new clothes and making over $14 million a year...

I don't know what he's complaining about. The NBA code means his fancy clothes are now tax-deductible.

 

[dornoforpyros]

do they not have taxi cabs in Cleveland? You know, regular sized cars that will drive you places for a fee?

Hmm or what's that other one....the bus!