NEW YORK (AP) — Jets linebacker Dylan Donahue recently checked himself into a treatment facility after being arrested for driving under the influence for the second time in less than a year.
FILE – In this May 5, 2017, file photo, New York Jets’ Dylan Donahue speaks to reporters during NFL football rookie minicamp in Florham Park, N.J. Donahue recently checked himself into a substance-abuse treatment facility after being arrested for driving under the influence for the second time in less than a year. The 25-year-old Donahue was arrested and charged with drunken driving early on Feb. 26 after he drove the wrong way in the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey and collided with a jitney bus, injuring four people. Shortly after the incident, Donahue voluntarily entered rehab.(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
The 25-year-old Donahue was arrested and charged with drunken driving early on Feb. 26 after police said he drove the wrong way in the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey and collided with a jitney bus, injuring four people. He is due in court in Weehawken, New Jersey, on April 11.
Shortly after the incident, Donahue voluntarily entered rehab.
“Dylan recognizes the seriousness of these issues and has voluntarily taken some important initial steps to deal with them,” Donahue’s agent Gary Uberstine wrote in an emailed statement to The Associated Press. “He is committed to this process of self-improvement, appreciates people respecting his privacy as he works to get healthy, and will address this matter publicly at an appropriate time.”
Donahue, a fifth-round pick last year out of West Georgia, had another DUI arrest in his hometown of Billings, Montana, on May 9, 2017 — 10 days after he was drafted by the Jets — according to the complaint affidavit obtained by the AP. Donahue was charged on Jan. 2 and pleaded not guilty through his attorney on March 1. His next court hearing is scheduled for April 3 in Municipal Court in Billings.
ESPN.com first reported Tuesday that Donahue had recently checked into a facility. It also first reported the second DUI incident on Monday.
The Jets said in a statement that they are aware of Donahue’s decision to enter a rehab facility.
“We respect and support Dylan’s decision to seek treatment,” the team said. “It is important for him to focus on his health right now. The organization has a full support system in place when he is ready to return.”
In the New Jersey incident, Port Authority police said Donahue’s crash happened around 2 a.m. after an officer saw Donahue drive his car around traffic cones and enter the Lincoln Tunnel. Donahue soon collided with the bus that had 15 people on board. The Jets player and a passenger were not injured.
Less than 10 months earlier, Donahue drove into a parked pickup truck that was unoccupied at 2:25 a.m. in Billings. Donahue and a passenger suffered minor injuries after Donahue’s SUV flipped onto its roof. According to the Billings city attorney, Donahue’s blood alcohol level was at 0.137; the legal limit is 0.08.
Donahue, whose father Mitch played for Denver and San Francisco during a four-year NFL career, was a promising prospect entering last season as a rookie with the Jets. The younger Donahue grew up idolizing Kevin Greene, who was his father’s favorite player, and then got the chance to work closely with the Hall of Famer who is the Jets’ outside linebackers coach.
Dylan Donahue was expected to give New York’s pass rush a boost, but he played in only four games and had five total tackles after tearing a ligament in his right elbow while blocking on a punt return late in overtime against Jacksonville on Oct. 1. He had season-ending surgery and was hoping to be completely healthy by training camp.
By DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
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