Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving at a change of plea hearing Monday in Arizona.
Additionally, La Russa will pay a $1,300 fine, perform 20 hours of community service and spend one day in home detention.
“I brought this on myself,” La Russa said during a conference call Monday. “I feel a deep remorse and regret over what I did.
“Obviously I displayed bad judgment that night in February. I am grateful for the White Sox for standing by me, even though this happened before they hired me. I really feel like I let them down and many others. My family, friends, and I think starting out in Chicago, I’ve let the fans down.
“I think about fans in Oakland and St. Louis, many of them became friends, and now starting again in Chicago, it’s not the way I wanted to start my relationship the second time around.”
After the conference call, the Sox issued a statement, which read: “With today’s announcement, Tony La Russa accepted responsibility and has been held legally accountable for his poor behavior and the questionable choices he made last February. The White Sox understand the anger and concern expressed by some about hiring Tony under these circumstances.
“Tony has expressed to us his remorse, and he understands he brought this on himself.
“We understand that people make mistakes and exercise poor judgment in life. In this case, Tony is fortunate his decisions that night did not injure himself or anyone else. We also believe people deserve the opportunity, at all points in their lives, to improve. Tony knows there is no safety net below him. There cannot be a third strike.
“Tony has a proud and productive history with the White Sox and Major League Baseball, which is why we are standing by him. He has done his job exceptionally well in the past. He has always shown an ability to inspire his players and to bring his teams to a championship level. We are confident that Tony will improve our team, while improving himself.”
La Russa, 76, originally was charged with two Class 1 misdemeanor counts of driving while under the influence after a February arrest.
ESPN first reported the original charges Nov. 10, less than two weeks after the Sox announced La Russa’s hiring. A Sox spokesman said at the time of the report the organization was aware of the arrest before hiring La Russa on Oct. 29.
“Mr. La Russa knows he made a mistake last February and deeply regrets it,” his lawyer Larry Kazan said in a statement. “The charge was reduced because Mr. La Russa was found to be over the legal threshold by a small amount. Nevertheless, Mr. La Russa understands that any amount over the limit is too much.”
“I am glad this matter is now behind Mr. La Russa from a legal point of view,” Kazan continued. “In my dealings with him, he has always been a straightforward, sincere man who knows he alone brought this on himself.”
It was the second known DUI arrest for La Russa, who was arrested in March 2007 in Jupiter, Fla., after he was found asleep at the wheel with his vehicle running and in park at a stop sign. He pleaded guilty to that charge eight months later.
