Titans QB Chris Simms Arrested for Driving While Impaired

A backup quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, Chris Simms, was arrested and accused of operating a vehicle under the influence of marijuana.

Chris Simms, a son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, says that the police misconstrued his comments when he was pulled over. Originally, he confessed to cops that he smoked a joint inside his 2009 Mercedes-Benz earlier in the night, but now he says he was just talking about cigarettes, the Associated Press reports.

His lawyer, Nathan Semmel, rejected that, saying that Simms' wife was a passenger in the car along with two others.

Simms passed on an opportunity to plead guilty and pay only a $500 fine.

In every state, it is a crime for a driver to operate a vehicle while impaired by the effects of alcohol or drugs.

The specific offense may be called driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI), operating under the influence (OUI), and even operating a motor vehicle intoxicated (OMVI).

Whatever the specific title, DUI laws make it unlawful for a person to operate a car, truck, motorcycle, or commercial vehicle if:

• The driver's ability to safely operate the vehicle is impaired by the effects of alcohol, illegal drugs, prescribed medications such as painkillers, or even over-the-counter medications such as antihistamines; or
• The driver is intoxicated at a level above established DUI standards, such as blood-alcohol concentration (BAC).

In this case, police and prosecutors said Simms slurred his words, had bloodshot eyes and smelled of marijuana when he was stopped.

Related Resources:

• Chris Simms, NFL quarterback & son of Giants legend Phil Simms, busted for driving on drugs: police (New York Daily News)
• DUI - The Basics (FindLaw)
• Drunk Driving FAQ (FindLaw)
• The DUI Arrest (provided by Jerald Novak Attorney at Law)
• DUI Info Center (provided by Larkin, Axelrod, Ingrassia & Tetenbaum, LLP)