When you’re the star quarterback of one of the best college teams in America and you get pulled over by the cops for drunk-driving, there’s only one possible exit strategy. Let’s call it the don’t-you-know-who-I-am defence.
Ohio State star JT Barrett, who is 20, was stopped by police in Columbus last month after he pulled out of line at a DUI checkpoint. Despite claiming he’d had nothing to drink, Barrett failed a sobriety test and was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Now TMZ Sports has got its hands on the dashcam video of Barrett’s arrest, and it shows Barrett doing what a lot of famous people do when they get pulled over: asking for preferential treatment.
At about the 1:15 mark, after Barrett has been placed in handcuffs, he’s heard to say: “I’m the quarterback of Ohio State … there’s nothing you can do?” Apparently not. But the officers assured Barrett they wouldn’t take him to jail, and then had a chuckle about the fact that Buckeyes co-starter Cardale Jones was coming to pick him up.
Barrett was suspended by Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer for one game after the incident, but was not stripped of the team captaincy. He pleaded guilty earlier this week, and was ordered to complete an alcohol education program, fined $400, and surrendered his driver’s license for 180 days.
He’s expected to return to the starting lineup Saturday at Illinois.
