Former Coug, Panther Fields arrested for drunken driving

PHOENIX – Former Washington State University and Carolina Panthers linebacker Mark Fields was arrested late last month on drunken driving charges after his car was seen drifting out of his lane of traffic, police said Sunday.

Fields, 33, was pulled over Dec. 29 in suburban Scottsdale, Ariz., when driving 30 mph in a 25-mph zone. His car was drifting out of its lane and almost bumped a nearby police car, said Lt. Joe Ruet of the Gilbert Police Department.

Fields wasn’t a member of the Panthers this season, deciding not to re-sign with the team after experiencing a recurrence of Hodgkin’s disease. He sat out the 2003 season while battling the disease but came back last season to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Fields told police that he hadn’t been drinking and declined to take a blood test, though officers got a search warrant that permitted them to test for alcohol, Ruet said.

Fields eventually took two breath tests, registering blood alcohol levels of 0.152 and 0.156. Arizona’s legal limit is 0.08.

He was cited on seven charges, including extreme drunken driving, speeding, unsafe lane usage and providing police officers with false information.

Fields was released after signing papers promising to appear in court on the charges.