Former Louisville basketball star Russ Smith was arrested on Sunday and is facing several charges.
Smith was pulled over by police early Sunday morning while driving in Louisville, Ky. According to an arrest report that was obtained by WDRB, a Louisville Metro Police Department officer stopped Smith after witnessing him make an illegal U-turn in a 2018 Maserati that had expired license plates. Smith allegedly drove across multiple lanes and a crosswalk while making the illegal turn.
The officer who pulled Smith over said he smelled alcohol and that Smith admitted to drinking “two Bourbon pours neat” prior to driving. Smith allegedly “swayed” when asked to step out of his car and then failed a field sobriety test.
Smith’s blood alcohol content was measured at 0.073, which is below the legal limit of 0.08 in Kentucky. However, laws allow for a driver to be arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence if a person’s BAC is above 0.04, depending on the other circumstances surrounding the situation.
Smith was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and having unregistered plates. He was released without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old Smith is currently under contract with Pallacanestro Nardò of the Serie A2 professional league in Italy. He had brief stints with the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies at the start of his pro career and has since played for several international teams.
Smith is best known for being a star point guard at Louisville. He helped lead the Cardinals to a Final Four in 2012 and a national title in 2013 under Rick Pitino, though the championship was later vacated due to a scandal.
Smith had his No. 2 jersey retired by Louisville in 2022.
