Getty Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was been arrested on January 10, 2022.
A Seattle Seahawks veteran was arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence.
As initially reported by the Associated Press, Geno Smith was arrested by the Washington State Patrol in King County, Washington, on a charge of suspicion of DUI at 2:10 a.m. on January 10, 2022, according to King County Records. The arrest occurred following the team’s season-ending victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Smith was released from custody later Monday morning, the AP reported.
“Smith was arrested at 2:10 a.m. by the Washington State Patrol and released from a King County correctional facility on his personal recognizance — meaning in lieu of posting bail — at 9:27 a.m., records show,” according to Brady Henderson of ESPN. “No other information was immediately available.”
Smith participated in end-of-season meetings with head coach Pete Carroll after being released from custody, according to the AP.
“Geno is fully cooperative with the investigation. I hope that an open mind can be kept by all as the facts are ascertained,” Smith’s attorney Jon Fox said in a statement to the media.
On Monday night Smith posted on Twitter saying he’ll share more information later and asking people to “hold back on judging me.”
Being arrested brings a taint onto the reputation that is impossible to undo, no matter what really happened.
I’m asking all of you to hold back on judging me the same as you would do for a friend or family member.
I’ll have more to say down the road
& ask that you bare with me.
Smith, a nine-year veteran, saw action in four games and three starts in the wake of Russell Wilson’s finger injury in Week 6. The former second-round draft selection threw five touchdowns against just one interception while completing 68.4% of his passes. His 103.0 quarterback rating was the highest of his career.
Smith spent the first four seasons of his career with the New York Jets, starting 27 games over his first two seasons. He has since had stints with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers before signing with the Seahawks in 2019.
Huard: Carroll Has Answers for Seahawks’ Woes
The Seahawks may have ended their 2021 season with a 7-10 campaign. It’s the first losing season of the Pete Carroll/Russell Wilson era and their first non-playoff season since 2017.
However, Seattle ended 2021 on a hot streak of sorts. Seattle ended the season with a big win over the playoff-bound Arizona Cardinals along with a victory over the Detroit Lions in the previous week.
During a Monday, January 10, segment on 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Mike Salk Show,” former Seahawks quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Brock Huard said he believes Carroll “found answers ownership needed to see,” as 710Sports.com Editor Brent Stecker put it.
“There were many Sundays following many games where he did not have answers, to one point where he walked out (on a press conference) and had to come back into the room realizing that ‘That is not the way I’m going to conduct my business,’” Huard said, according to Stecker. “But he didn’t have answers for what was wrong with their team. He could not speak to it. And that was, I think, the most alarming to ownership and to others.
“I think after the [Cardinals] game, it was very clear – ‘We do have answers,’” he said. “The last six weeks have shown that very clearly, and the answers are the balance that (the Seahawks) need.”
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Carroll: ‘It’s Really an Exciting Time for Us’
There’s much uncertainty regarding Carroll’s future — and Wilson’s.
However, the long-time Seahawks head coach has stressed time and time again that Seattle doesn’t need a rebuild — they need to reload for next season.
“I think it’s right there. I mean, I wouldn’t want to play us right now if I was another team,” Carroll said on Monday, via 710 ESPN Seattle. “I think we have the elements that make you really dangerous that you can’t pinpoint where you’ve got to stop us. … I think it’s really an exciting time for us. I’m really pleased that we finished with a real clear illustration of who we are.”
We’ll see which direction the Seahawks head in for the 2022 season. But with Carroll under contract through the 2025 season and Wilson under contract through 2023, it’s very possible Seattle runs it back — again.