Dwight Gooden arrested for DUI for second time in two months, says he will enter rehab
New York Mets great Doc Gooden has found himself in trouble with the law again, and it looks like it’s convinced him to enter rehab. He was arrested for DUI on Monday night, according to the New York Post, marking his second DUI arrest in the past two months.
Authorities found Gooden driving the wrong way down a one-way street, but that’s not the most embarrassing detail in The Post’s report — he’d wet his pants when police arrested him. Via The Post:
The legendary ex-pitcher known as “Doc” — who has been in and out of rehab for years for drug and alcohol addiction — was a mess when he was picked up near Ferry Street in the Ironbound section around 11:10 p.m., sources said.
“He’d pee’d himself,” a source said, adding that Gooden told cops at the scene that he was diabetic, although it’s unclear if he is.
Gooden, 54, was recently busted for cocaine possession on another DUI stop that happened June 7 in New Jersey. For that arrest he’s facing third-degree charges of possessing a controlled dangerous substance, possessing drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence. He could face jail time.
Issues with drugs and alcohol go back to Gooden’s playing days, as he tested positive for cocaine in 1987 and went to rehab. He missed all of the 1995 season after being suspended for drugs. He was sent to jail in 2006 for violating probation, then, in 2010, he crashed his car while under the influence.
Those struggles new and old led to Gooden telling reporters he would enter rehab on Tuesday, per WFAN.com:
“Basically, I’m going away tonight to try to get some help to save my life. I’m very embarrassed. Very shameful, Gooden said outside his home Tuesday. "I feel bad for anybody I disappointed or let down It’s a struggle — a hard struggle — but you have to just jump back in. I’ll be checking in tonight, whatever it takes. This time, I mean, at my age, I’ve been doing this for 30 something years. I never thought I’d see myself at 54 going back to treatment."
Recently, Gooden had been making more appearances on the baseball circuit. He spoke in January at the annual Baseball Writers Association of America awards dinner, which is where the MVP and Cy Young winners are honored each year. Earlier this month, he was among the MLB legends to appear at the All-Star Game in Cleveland.
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Mike Oz is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @mikeoz
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