Ex-NFL star Marshawn Lynch avoids jail time in DUI trial by reaching plea bargain while agreeing to $1,140 fine and 200 hours of community service

Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has agreed to a plea deal in his drunk-driving case in Las Vegas that will likely allow him to avoid any prison time.

A trial in the case was set to begin this week before the retired NFL star’s legal team reached a plea bargain with prosecutors. Lynch, 37, was originally charged with misdemeanor DUI when he was found sleeping at the wheel of his car in 2022.

Lynch can avoid jail time by meeting the judge’s requirements, which include 200 hours of community service, DUI school, and paying a $1,140 fine, according to multiple reports.

‘Mr. Lynch has not been convicted of any offense at his time,’ attorneys Richard Schonfeld and David Chesnoff said in a statement. ‘He has agreed to complete certain requirements which will result in this case being closed as a reckless driving traffic offense.’

Lynch was believed to have a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit when he was arrested in 2022.

The arrest took place just off Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Metro Police announced on Twitter. His mugshot has since been released, showing the man known as ‘Beast Mode’ with his eyes half open.

‘The LVMPD conducted a vehicle stop at Fairfield Avenue and West Utah Avenue (near Wyoming and Las Vegas Blvd) on a driver, later identified as Marshawn Lynch, for suspected driver impairment,’ read the department tweet. ‘Through the course of the investigation, officers determined that Lynch was impaired and conducted an arrest. Lynch was transported to the Las Vegas City Jail and booked for driving under the influence.’

Sources told TMZ that Lynch was driving into curbs before being pulled over. The website reports that he refused a breathalyzer, but did have blood drawn.

This was not his first driving-related arrest. In 2008, as a second-year player with the Buffalo Bills, Lynch was accused of hitting a woman with his Porsche Cayenne at 3:30am. When questioned, the former Cal Bears star said: ‘I didn’t know my car had hit anyone or anything.’

He pled guilty to a hit-and-run charge and subsequently had his driver’s license revoked.

The Oakland native was also arrested for DUI by the California Highway Patrol in 2012 after he was seen driving erratically. He ultimately registered a 0.1 in a Breathalyzer test, which is above the limit of 0.08.

He ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving and received two years’ probation and a $1,000 fine. However, his license was not suspended.

Lynch has also gone viral for some behind-the-wheel exploits, such as his notorious 2006 on-field cart ride when he celebrated a Cal victory by speeding around the turf in Berkeley, narrowly missing players and staff.