Update 12:36 pm: WEEI has more details on the story -- muscle relaxers might have been the culprit for his erratic driving, not alcohol. That's... good? Or bad. It's honestly kind of hard to tell.
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Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks was arrested in Florida by the Lee County Sheriff's department, on charges of property damage and a hit-and-run while driving under the influence. This is a step backward for Jenks, who quit drinking a few years ago when he felt alcohol was becoming a problem in his life:
But at some point this offseason, Jenks, who turns 29 on March 14, decided alcohol was becoming a problem not just for his life as this ballplayer, but also his life as a family man and for those around him. So, he stopped drinking.
--snip--
"I just got tired of it, plain and simple," Jenks said. "When you want a bad habit out of your life, either you wean yourself off or you quit cold turkey.
"For me, it was easier to just quit. It was to the point where it was easy for me to lose control. I got to the point where not for my sake and my family's sake, but everyone's around me, it was just time to back off and live my life not for myself.
It is almost two years to the day that the story those quotes are from originally ran. It seemed his life was starting to get back in order after myriad health problems in both the 2011 season and off-season, but things are off track now. Hopefully this is a wake-up call for Jenks, a reminder of why he quit drinking two years ago.
Jenks was charged with five misdemeanors for property damage, traffic offenses, and the hit-and-run. He has already been released, but will be in court for April 9. No word yet on whether or not he will be punished by the Red Sox or Major League Baseball for the offense. Given the general laissez faire attitude of the league towards DUIs, don't count on there being any significant punishment.