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According to Rich Cholodofsky of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh football and basketball radio announcer William “Bill” Hillgrove will serve two years probation as penalty for a DUI incident that occurred this past spring.
Hillgrove was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after police said he drove his SUV into the front of a supermarket in Murrysville, Pennsylvania on June 15, 2020. The store manager at Ferri’s ShurSave on Old William Penn Highway reported that Hillgrove drove into two panes of glass, then walked inside to fill a prescription before driving away.
Per the Tribune-Review, a subsequent breathalyzer test found that Hillgrove had a blood alcohol level of “at least 0.16%,” twice the limit at which a motorist in Pennsylvania is considered intoxicated.
Bill Hillgrove & the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program
“During a hearing this week, Hillgrove agreed to enter the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program for first-time nonviolent offenders,” notes Cholodofsky, adding that “Enrollment in the program does not require a guilty plea and allows for the criminal case to later be expunged.”
Hillgrove was deemed to be a candidate for the ARD program despite being part of the program once before. According to the Tribune-Review, Hillgrove was enrolled in the wake of an incident on November 21, 2001, which resulted in a one-year probation.
“As part of the deal in connection with the June case, two drunken driving counts will be dismissed after Hillgrove completes his probation term,” advises Cholodofsky, who also reports that Hillgrove paid restitution for damages and that the Steelers announcer has had his driver’s license suspended for 60 days.
Following the incident the Steelers suspended Hillgrove, which kept him from broadcasting the first two Steelers games this season.
The ARD program is designed to quickly dispose of cases where the offender is amendable to rehabilitation and treatment. It’s also designed to eliminate the need for costly and time-consuming legal proceedings when resources might be better utilized elsewhere.
Cameron Sutton Trade Rumors
On an entirely different note, there was a very brief period of speculation on Tuesday night that fourth-year Steelers cornerback Cam Sutton was about to be traded, with the rumors based on, well, not much of any evidence, really.
On Wednesday multiple Steelers beat reporters attempted to put the rumors to rest with Mark Kaboly of The Athletic telling followers that the team has no intention of trading Sutton.
According to a source, the Steelers have ZERO intentions in trading Cam Sutton. So we can move on with our day.
Similarly, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted that Sutton was at the team’s facility on Wednesday and attending meetings, much like any other Wednesday.
For those who keep asking, all I can tell you is Cam Sutton is at the Steelers facility today and attending meetings.
It makes no sense for the Steelers to trade Sutton, despite the fact that he’s a pending unrestricted free agent in 2021. As a backup, he probably couldn’t command much in the way of trade value, plus he’s likely to remain affordable if the Steelers want to bring him back next season, in contrast to, say, slot cornerback Mike Hilton, who will also be an unrestricted free agent during this coming offseason.
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