NFL teams
Josh Weinfuss, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Arizona Cardinals GM Steve Keim pleads guilty to DUI, suspended 5 weeks

NFL, Arizona Cardinals

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals suspended general manager Steve Keim for five weeks and fined him $200,000 after he pleaded guilty to extreme DUI on Tuesday, according to the team.

The NFL announced it would not impose additional punishment.

Keim surrendered to Chandler, Arizona, police later Tuesday night, and he will serve 48 hours in jail, according to KPNX-12 in Phoenix.

Test results showed that Keim's blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit, according to court and police documents.

The blood test taken on July 4, when Keim was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Chandler, revealed that his blood alcohol content was .193, just short of a super extreme DUI. An extreme DUI in Arizona is a blood alcohol content of .15 to .19. The legal limit is .08.

Keim told police after getting pulled over that he had two beers and pizza, according to body-cam footage of the interaction. He later told police he had nachos but didn't mention the pizza, according to the police report.

The team's website announced that as part of Keim's suspension, he will be "barred" from the team's facilities and "prohibited" from having contact with the team. The Cardinals also announced Keim will be allowed to rejoin the team only after he completes counseling, an evaluation and a DUI education course.

"As stated at the time of the incident, this behavior is indefensible and completely unacceptable," the Cardinals said in a statement. "While Steve has accepted full accountability and responsibility for his actions, that does not diminish their gravity nor the severity of the consequences that result from them.

"Those who work within the National Football League -- particularly those in leadership positions -- bear a greater responsibility and are held to a higher standard than simply a legal one, and we feel that these measures are reflective of that."

The Cardinals will donate Keim's fine to the Arizona chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Keim accepted the team's punishment in a statement.

"Once again, I apologize to everyone who has been negatively impacted by my actions and incredibly poor judgment, in particular the Cardinals, our fans and my family," Keim said in the statement. "I fully deserve and accept the punishment that has been issued. My goal is to do everything I can to grow from this personally and help others learn from my inexcusable behavior."

There was precedent for a team executive to face suspension because of a DUI arrest.

In 2013, the Denver Broncos suspended Tom Heckert, the team's director of pro personnel, for a month, and Matt Russell, the team's director of player personnel, indefinitely after both were charged with DUI that summer.

In 2016, the Cardinals released former wide receiver Michael Floyd days after he was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, for a DUI. He was charged with an extreme DUI and super extreme DUI, the latter charge of which was dropped.

^ Back to Top ^