Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff had a blood-alcohol level that was twice the legal limit when he was arrested last week on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after a crash involving a tractor-trailer rig on Texas 114 in Grapevine, police said Monday.
Lab results which the Grapevine criminal investigations division has received indicated that Ratliff had a blood-alcohol level of 0.16. In Texas, someone with a 0.08 BAC is considered legally intoxicated.Ratliff remained free Monday after posting $500 bail on the misdemeanor offense.Neither Ratliff nor the driver of the big rig was hurt in the Jan. 22 wreck.The crash happened about 12:30 a.m. in westbound lanes in the 2800 block of Texas 114. Ratliff, who lives in Southlake, was driving a black 2011 Ford F-150 pickup when he attempted to change lanes.A responding officer gave Ratliff a field sobriety test "and formed the opinion he was intoxicated," Grapevine police have said.A Grapevine police report indicated that Ratliff had been in Arlington that evening.Ratliff refused an on-scene breath test, so officers subsequently obtained a warrant to draw a blood sample, police said.Ratliff's arrest comes about six weeks after he and his teammates attended the funeral for teammate Jerry Brown, who was killed after a car driven by teammate Josh Brent crashed in Irving. Police said Brent was driving drunk, and he has been indicted on a charge of intoxication manslaughter.The nose tackle had season-ending surgery in early December after already missing seven games during the season.This report contains information from Star-Telegram archives.Domingo Ramirez Jr., 817-390-7763Twitter: @mingoramirezjrAudio: 911 call from truck driver hit by Jay Ratliff's pickup
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