Former pitcher Dwight Gooden accused of DUI

The arrest comes after the ex-pitcher had tried to put substance abuse behind him.

By AMY HERDY and MIKE READLING
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 21, 2002

TAMPA -- By some appearances, Dwight Gooden seemed to be turning a corner.

The former pitching phenom had showed signs of overcoming the cocaine and alcohol addiction that undercut his baseball career and nearly killed him. He was adjusting to retirement, spending more time with his wife and kids and learning a new career as baseball executive with the New York Yankees.

Early Wednesday morning, things took a bad turn.

Gooden was arrested on drunken driving charges after police officers said they spotted his car swerving on an expressway.

"Of course, we are disappointed in this occurrence and are taking it very seriously, and Dwight is as well," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "We don't have all the facts at this time. We're monitoring the situation very closely."

Gooden, 37, was driving a black 2002 Cadillac Escalade erratically about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway at Willow Avenue when an officer transporting a prisoner to jail pulled behind him, said Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin.

With a prisoner in the car, the officer was unable to stop Gooden, so he called for additional officers, who pulled Gooden over on the expressway at 50th Street.

"He had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and slurred speech," Durkin said.

A DUI officer gave Gooden a field sobriety test requiring him to walk a straight line and touch his finger to his nose, tasks the former pitcher could not manage, Durkin said.

"After he failed the field sobriety test, he was placed under arrest," Durkin said. Gooden was charged with DUI, driving with a suspended license and having an open bottle of Michelob Light in the console of his car.

Gooden, who lives in St. Petersburg, told officers he had drunk about three beers and was on his way to pick up his son for a game. Gooden did not know his license had been suspended for failure to pay a traffic fine, Durkin said. Gooden was booked into jail early Wednesday and was released on $500 bail.

A local celebrity, Gooden graduated from Hillsborough High School and was drafted fifth overall by the Mets in the 1982 Amateur Draft, the highest draft choice by any Hillsborough County player.

He retired from the New York Yankees in May, ending his career with a 194-112 record and a 3.51 ERA. He struck out 2,293 batters and recorded a no-hitter in 1996. He was also a member of three World Series champion teams, including the 1986 Mets and the1996 and 2000 Yankees.

Gooden played 11 seasons with the Mets, winning the 1984 Rookie of the Year Award. In 1985, he became the youngest Cy Young Award winner at age 20 after going 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA.

His prominence did not affect his arrest, Durkin said.

Unlike an incident in 1986 where Gooden scuffled with Tampa police, he was "very cooperative" during Tuesday's arrest and was not given special consideration, Durkin said. "The only thing that set this apart was the prominent name attached to it. He was treated as anybody would be treated for an investigation of a DUI."

David Cone, a retired pitcher and former New York Mets and Yankees teammate, said he was concerned for his colleague.

"Doc's a good friend of mine," Cone said. "If he ever needs anything, I'm there for him. I just hope this latest trouble doesn't hurt his future because he has a bright future in the game of baseball."

Since his retirement in May, Gooden has been serving as an assistant to Steinbrenner. Working out of the team's minor league complex in Tampa, Gooden coaches minor league pitchers and counsels younger players about off-field issues while offering advice on trades and free agents.

Mike Stanton, a Yankees pitcher, said the team would stand behind Gooden.

"Any time one of your friends is in any kind of trouble you're concerned about it," Stanton said. "He walks around here like he's still a player, and I think that's how we all look at him. We're going to do all we can to support him."

At spring training early Tuesday, Steinbrenner referred to Gooden as a "model citizen." After his arrest, neither Steinbrenner nor Gooden could be reached for comment. Gooden's attorney did not return calls to the Times.

Tuesday night's arrest was not the first time Gooden has been in trouble. In June 1994, he was suspended for 60 days for testing positive for cocaine. He tested positive for cocaine again while on suspension and was sidelined for the 1995 season.

His driving record includes convictions for speeding in 1992, 1993 and 2000, as well as failure to observe a traffic device in 1995.

Records show Gooden's license was suspended Feb. 12 for failing to pay a traffic fine.

In 1995, Gooden said this about Tampa: "My problems have never been here in St. Pete. I was always getting into trouble in Tampa. . . . If I go to Tampa during the day, I'm fine. But in Tampa after the sun goes down, it's like I'm a vampire. I change, get a beer for the ride, meet my friends, go to a club, and I'm in trouble."

-- Times researcher John Martin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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