Matt Bush has become one of the biggest cautionary tales in baseball. A former No. 1 draft pick thanks to his talent and the Padres’ frugality, Bush was charged with DUI and hit and run Thursday.
Bush allegedly took his roommate’s car, got drunk, climbed on stage at a strip club before bouncers booted him, and then hit a motorcyclist while driving on a suspended license. Bush was driving on a highway and changed lanes at the same time a motorcycle in front of him also changed lanes. Bush hit the motorcyclist, 72-year-old Tony Tufano, and allegedly ran over Trufano’s head with his back wheel. He had a .180 blood alcohol content at the time and continued driving until police caught him.
Trufano was in serious condition Saturday and trying to recover from a fractured wrist, several broken bones in his back, several broken ribs, and brain hemorrhaging. Bush is in jail and likely faces a few years in prison — more if Trufano is unable to survive. His bail was set at over $1 million. As part of his push for a smaller bond, Bush’s attorney argued that the Rays reliever only has $2,000 in his bank account. If that’s the case, it would be pretty sad for a guy who signed for over $3 million in 2004.
The Rays have said Bush will not play with them (no surprise) and that they were surprised by the pitcher’s alcohol relapse.
Bush first got into trouble during his first spring training with the Padres trying to get into a club. He was busted at a bar again in 2008, attacked some lacrosse players at a San Diego high school in 2009, and he cried while resisting arrest for a DUI later that year. Even though he admitted he had an alcohol problem and that he was rehabbing, it’s hard to say we’re surprised this is how his story is ending.
