May 08--Former NFL player Jerramy Stevens, husband of soccer star Hope Solo, was sentenced Friday to 30 days in jail and four years' probation for driving a U.S. soccer van while drunk.
Stevens, 35, surrendered to court officials after he was sentenced for the Jan. 19 drunk driving incident in Manhattan Beach, said Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Nicole Bershon ordered him to enter a two-year outpatient alcohol program, and to complete a "victim impact" program, which aims to show offenders the effects of their actions. Both must be completed in Washington, where he lives.
Stevens pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor counts: driving with a 0.08% blood-alcohol content level and driving under the influence within 10 years of a prior DUI conviction, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
Stevens was convicted in 2007 of a DUI in Scottsdale, Ariz., according to court documents.
At the sentencing, Bershon warned Stevens that if he was convicted of DUI again and it resulted in a death, he could be charged with murder, Santiago said.
The former Seattle Seahawks player was stopped about 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 while driving a U.S. soccer van with its headlights off in Manhattan Beach, police said.
Stevens refused a blood or breathalyzer test, so officers obtained a search warrant to draw a blood sample, prosecutors said. His blood-alcohol concentration was at least 0.15%.
Solo, a goalkeeper for the U.S. national soccer team, was in the van at the time and was suspended by Coach Jill Ellis for making "a poor decision that has resulted in a negative impact on U.S. soccer and her teammates." She was reinstated to the team in late February.
Later, in a statement issued by his attorney, Craig Renetzky, Stevens said he wants to move his life in a positive direction.
"I fully and willingly accept the consequences of my failure to act responsibly and I am ready to face what is ahead," he said.
"I look forward to putting it all behind me and moving forward with my life in a positive and productive manner," he continued.
The Manhattan Beach DUI case was one in a number of incidents that have made Stevens and Solo a subject of controversy.
In November 2012, Stevens, who was Solo's fiance at the time, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting her but was never charged.
Solo, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested on domestic violence charges last year after being accused of assaulting her sister and nephew, and in July issued a public apology to fans.
A judge in Washington state dismissed the two counts of domestic violence against her nearly a week before Stevens' arrest.
Stevens was drafted by the Seahawks in 2002 and played for the team until 2007. He went on to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
