Police: Boston's GHB level was high

According to tests, the Buc was under the influence when stopped Aug.23.

By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer
Published September 11, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT According to tests, David Boston was under the influence of GHB when stopped Aug. 23. Related content Audio: Listen to 911 call Video: See Boston undergo tests by police officer

PINELLAS PARK - Buccaneers wide receiver David Boston was under the influence of GHB when found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV last month, police say.

Boston was arrested and charged with misdemeanor DUI on Aug.23, pending the results of a urinalysis. The test came back last week, and Pinellas Park police said the DUI charge would stand.

On Monday the police released the results, confirmed by two labs, indicating Boston had 870 micrograms per milliliter of GHB in his urine. Using two labs is department protocol, police spokesman Sandy Forseth said.

"That's a lot of GHB," said Sarah Kerrigan, a forensic toxicologist and director of the forensic science program at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Kerrigan has a Ph.D. in chemistry in the field of drugs of abuse testing. "That's consistent with someone who's taken the drug."

GHB occurs naturally in the body, she said. But Boston's reading is "not natural," Kerrigan said.

Kerrigan cautioned against making conclusions about impairment from the drug's concentration. GHB takes eight to 10 hours to leave the system, a large window during which Boston might have taken the drug. And different concentrations could appear depending on the amount of fluid Boston excreted. A determination of impairment, she said, would have to come from other evidence, such as field sobriety tests.

GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, has euphoric, sedative and anabolic (bodybuilding) effects. It is a central nervous system depressant that was widely available over the counter during the 1980s and until 1992. In lower doses, GHB causes drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and visual disturbances.

Boston, 29, has declared his innocence, saying in a statement last week, "I have done nothing wrong. I was not impaired."

Bucs general manager Bruce Allen, who issued a statement two days after the arrest saying there was no "objective evidence" to support the arrest, issued a statement Monday in light of the urinalysis results.

"We are taking the allegations in today's report, released by the Pinellas Park Police Department, very seriously and will continue to review all information as it becomes available. We will reserve further comment until all the facts surrounding the investigation are complete," the statement said.

NFL vice president of public relations Greg Aiello said, "The matter is under review. It falls under the substance abuse policy."

Under that league policy, a player can be suspended without pay for as long as four games for a first violation of substances other than alcohol. A second violation can draw a six-game suspension.

Commissioner Roger Goodell's office can consider a player's treatment history when determining the degree of discipline - and suspensions can be extended or even made indefinite.

In 2002, when he was with the Cardinals, Boston pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors after he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana found during a traffic stop.

While with the Dolphins, he was suspended for four games in 2004 for violating the steroid policy. He had a season-ending knee injury at the time. He was charged with simple assault in Burlington, Vt., later that month, and pleaded no contest to striking a ticket agent at the airport.

On Aug. 23, Pinellas Park police were summoned by a 911 call from a man reporting a red Range Rover being driven erratically. The caller was behind the Range Rover going south on 49th Street N.

"He appears to be drunker than hell. He's all over the road," the man reported.

The two arrived at the Park Boulevard traffic light about 38 seconds into the 4-minute, 42-second 911 call.

"I think he's going to sit through this light," the caller said. "We've gone through a cycle and he just sat there. ... He's not moving. ... Maybe he wasn't drunk. Maybe there's something else going on. ... I think maybe something's happened because he doesn't appear to be moving at all."

When officers arrived, they found Boston slumped over the steering wheel. They suspected he might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol because his eyes were fluttering, consistent with a condition known as nystagmus.

The police had Boston perform field sobriety tests. Then he was taken into custody and given a Breathalyzer test, which came back negative. An officer known as a drug recognition expert tried to test Boston. He said he was innocent and refused the tests, which was his right. Officers then took a urine sample.

This is Boston's second stint with the Bucs. He was cut before the start of last season.

Boston isn't the only Buc being scrutinized by the league. Tight end Jerramy Stevens was found guilty of DUI last week by an Arizona jury. "It's under review," Aiello said of Stevens' case.

According to the league's policy on alcohol-related offenses, "The Commissioner will review and may impose a fine, suspension, or other appropriate discipline if a player is convicted of or admits to a violation of the law ... relating to the use of alcohol."

[Last modified September 11, 2007, 01:54:49]