Michael Beasley just can’t get it together. He hasn't come close to the potential he had as the number two pick in the 2008 draft but we thought he was past the silly incidents that have marred his life since his days at Kansas State. Evidently, that is not the case.
According to reports from ArizonaSports.com, Beasley hit the jackpot of driving ignorance. He was pulled over for driving 71 mph in a 45 mph zone. Oh, and it gets better. He was also found with a loaded gun in the back seat and was driving on a suspended license on a Mercedes with no license plates.
The Suns are already frustrated enough with Beasley on the court, and now have to issue statements about his driving record.
“We are aware that Scottsdale Police stopped and cited Michael Beasley for motor vehicle infractions at approximately 1:10 a.m. on January 25, 2013. After being briefly detained on-site, he was released. According to the police report, Michael was ‘cooperative’ and ‘no impairment was found’ following field sobriety tests. We have discussed the matter with Michael and at this time do not believe any further action by the Club is warranted.”
In a normal situation, driving on a suspended license is an automatic trip to jail. This time, the cops allowed him to go home.
He was cited for driving with a suspended license, driving with excessive speed, driving with expired registration and failure to display a license plate on the rear of the vehicle. Driving with a suspended license and excessive speeding are criminal traffic violations, whereas driving with expired registration and failure to display a license plate are civil traffic violations.
According to the report, the officer noticed Beasley to have "slow speech and slow responses", but said no when asked if he had had anything to drink or taken any medications or drugs.
The officer said Beasley said "no, not really" when asked if he knew why he was stopped, and when told of his rate of speed said he didn't realize he was going so fast.
The report states the officer then asked if there were any drugs, guns, weapons or knives in the vehicle, to which Beasley said there was a gun in the center armrest in the back seat. The officer asked Beasley if he could "retrieve the weapon until the traffic stop was complete", and he complied.
According to the report, the gun was a Taurus 45 caliber that was loaded with one bullet in the chamber.
Sadly, this isn't new for MB. Before Beasley even made it to a team, he was fined at a rookie symposium for marijuana use. He has had several incidents with the law in the preceding years at stops in Minnesota and Miami. Don’t forget about his pushing a fan in the face right after the lockout. That isn’t how you get fans back on board after a labor stoppage. Yet, through all the mess he’s been involved with, he’s always gotten a break because of his immense talent.
Even in the most recent situation he was allowed to go home because the police said he was cooperating with them. Well, was else was he supposed to do with all a loaded gun, no plates and suspended license? It’s like they gave him a cookie for not running and allowing himself to be handcuffed.
I’m the last person who will ever root to see another black man in jail. But it seems giving this guy chances isn’t helping, and maybe some tough love would do him some good.
