Richard Sherman waived right to appear in court Monday after DUI arrest

Richard Sherman waived his right to appear in court this morning over a drunk driving arrest this weekend, with his arraignment expected to be on Wednesday.

Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers claimed he was driving 79 miles per hour in a 60 miles per hour zone. Sherman admitted to having two margaritas and officers detected signs of intoxication, according to WSP’s report. He’s currently out on $5,000 bail and was ordered not to drive until his arraignment date.

Original Story

Former Seattle Seahawks star Richard Sherman was arrested for suspicion of DUI at approximately 4 a.m. Saturday, the Washington State Patrol (WSP) confirmed.

The retired five-time All-Pro cornerback, 35, was subsequently booked in the King County jail, officially rostered at the jail at 4:51 a.m., according to KIRO Newsradio.

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Sherman is expected to have a court hearing Monday morning to address the conditions of his release from King County Jail, according to a statement from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) sent to KIRO Newsradio. Bail had not yet been set.

According to documents acquired by multiple media outlets, including CNN and The Seattle Times, a WSP trooper wrote Sherman was stopped around 2 a.m. Saturday on Interstate 405, just north of Northeast 44th Street in Renton, for going 79 mph in a 60 mph zone.

Sherman reportedly told troopers he had two margaritas. He refused a breathalyzer, but agreed to do some voluntary tests, according to the report. Troopers said they observed signs he was under the influence and arrested him.

Casey McNerthney, a spokesman for the KCPAO, said in a statement sent to KIRO Newsradio an appearance document hadn’t appeared in their system as of Saturday afternoon. The WSP has stated the incident is still under investigation.

McNerthney stated he doesn’t know the name of Sherman’s defense attorney, only saying that, in the past, he has been represented by Cooper Offenbecher.

Sherman’s 2021 arrest

Sherman previously was arrested in July 2021 in Redmond after police said he crashed his SUV in a construction zone and tried to break into his in-laws’ suburban Seattle home. His father-in-law, Raymond Moss, told officers that he armed himself with a handgun and fired pepper-spray at Sherman to protect his family.

Sherman, who said after the arrest he was “deeply remorseful,” pleaded guilty in March 2022 to two misdemeanor counts, first-degree negligent driving and second-degree criminal trespass. He also admitted to a criminal infraction of speeding in a roadway construction zone.

“I’m grateful for the community we have and the way people continue to accept you even though you’re a flawed human being and made a mistake,” Sherman told the court.

More on the previous arrest: NFL’s Richard Sherman ‘deeply remorseful’ after arrest

In the plea agreement, Sherman was also placed under court supervision for two years and additionally ordered to attend a DUI victim’s panel.

The judge in the case gave Sherman credit for the two days he spent in custody when he was first arrested and suspended the 88 days remaining on the sentence, meaning he won’t be required to serve any additional time behind bars if he keeps out of trouble.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk surmised in a piece he authored Sunday that since the two-year period between pleading guilty to the 2021 incident and Friday’s arrest had not yet expired, “that could create separate legal issues for Sherman.” Florio, who used to work full time as an attorney, appeared to be basing his conclusion purely as an outside observer.

Richard Sherman’s post-football life

Since his retirement in 2021, Sherman has kicked off a burgeoning television career as a personality and as an analyst. He has been a part of the pre- and post-game shows for Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” since its debut on the streaming service in 2022.

In 2023, Sherman joined Fox Sports 1’s (FS1) sports debate show “Undisputed” which stars Skip Bayless. Andrew Marchand, then of the New York Post, reported Sherman was expected to make between 50 and 100 appearances per year on the FS1 show, mostly during football season. Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin also appear regularly.

In October, Sherman and his former Seahawks teammate Kam Chancellor also teamed up with restaurateur Leilani Wong to open a new Bellevue bar and restaurant called Legion after the Seahawks’ legendary defense known as the “Legion of Boom” features upscale soul food and big screens to watch sporting events. In addition to a wide assortment of beer and wine, craft cocktails are available.

Food in Western Washington: Sherman, Chancellor part of sports bar group

Contributing: Steve Coogan; The Associated Press

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.