Dwayne Bowe Releases Statement On Pot Charge

Sep 8, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver

(82) warms up before the start of the the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

We have some new information on the Dwayne Bowe arrest from November, including a statement from Bowe.

First, Bowe released a statement intended to clarify some comments he made in a radio interview in January where he suggested he was profiled by Riverside police. Terez A. Paylor provides Bowe’s clarification, which Bowe gave through his lawyer.

"“I just wanted to clear up a few things regarding the Riverside incident,” Bowe said in the statement. “I don’t believe I was racially profiled by the Riverside police department. I believe I was pulled over for speeding. I have seen the police reports and videos given to my attorney in this case, and I want people to know I was treated with courtesy and respect by the police. I regret speeding in Riverside and have driven through Riverside many times since Nov. 10 without a problem.”"

Let’s avoid the easy joke about “How many times has Bowe stopped by Sonic since November 10?” and move on to more serious matters.

Paylor informs us Bowe’s lawyer has filed a motion to have evidence from his arrest dismissed due to failure by the police to follow the rules during the arrest. This would include, as Paylor says, failure to read a suspect his Miranda rights. Should the judge dismiss the evidence then Bowe would only be subject to the speeding charge.

Typically the NFL chooses to wait until after due process has occurred before starting their own investigation into whether or not a player should be suspended. The collective bargaining agreement has language which limits what the NFL can do in terms of punishment if the charges against Bowe are dropped or he is found innocent. Should the case against Bowe be dropped then there is a higher likelihood Bowe will not be suspended.

Bowe could be subject to a four-game suspension by the NFL is it is proven he violated the league’s substance-abuse policy. There is some gray area here, too, as the NFL could suspend Bowe if he’s found guilty of a lesser charge. Tamba Hali‘s one-game suspension in 2012 is a good example of this kind of scenario.

This isn’t the first time Bowe has been subject to suspension. Bowe was suspended once before for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy in 2009. The four-game suspension has no barring on this case, however, since the collective bargaining agreement considers the PED policy and substance abuse policy to be two separate things.

Bowe, who has had several court dates postponed already, has a court date scheduled for April 16.