The Denver Broncos know only part of this coming season’s schedule. They know which teams they will be paired against, but they don’t yet know on which dates the match-ups will occur. The NFL is releasing that information soon, but until then, the Broncos are quietly hoping to face the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the first two games of the 2015 season.
That’s because star Kansas City cornerback Sean Smith will be out for at least those first two games. After pleading guilty to a DUI charge, Smith faces a mandatory minimum two-game suspension.
According to media reports, Smith slammed a car into a light pole in downtown Kansas City early last summer. Though no one was hurt, the 27-year-old cornerback was arrested for careless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.
The careless driving charge was later dropped when he agreed to plead guilty to the drunken driving accusation. He will be on probation for two years as a result of the deal. But his team will also be without its top defender in its secondary for at least two games.
It’s even possible that the league could extend his suspension beyond two games. No extension has been announced, but a new personal conduct policy gives the league the power to stretch out the punishment.
How disappointed would the Broncos be to see the automatic two-game suspension extended by a few more? Not much.
We bring the subject of Smith’s suspension up because it’s yet another indicator that the nationwide toughening of laws and rules regarding DUI continues. Here in Colorado, we might well see our legislature and governor team up to give our state a felony DUI law.
The tougher the laws and punishments get, the more important it is for defendants to be represented by an attorney with experience in DUI defense.