Before he could get acquainted with Philips Arena, new Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer got acquainted with the Atlanta City Jail.
The former San Antonio Spurs assistant who was hired his summer to replace Larry Drew, was arrested Wednesday night for driving under the influence of alcohol.
A Georgia state trooper noticed Budenholzer driving with the tail-lights off on his Audi A8 at around 10:30 p.m. at Crescent Avenue and 10th Street in Midtown Atlanta, according to the State Patrol incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“As I spoke with him, I noticed that he had bloodshot and watery eyes and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath,” trooper Johnathon Nelms wrote in his report.
“I asked Mr. Budenholzer how much alcohol he had and he advised that he had one glass of wine to drink prior to driving,” Nelms said.
After giving Budenholzer a field sobriety test, Nelms placed the coach under arrest.
“I requested a breath test and Mr. Budenholzer refused the breath test by giving a verbal ‘No’,” Nelms said.
A spokesman for the Atlanta City Jail said Budenholzer, 44, was charged with DUI and a tail-light violation, and was released on $1,524 bond at 3:45 a.m. Thursday.
“Bud made us aware of the situation last night,” Danny Ferry, the team’s general manager said in a statement. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will have further comment at the appropriate time.”
