Never a good idea to lie to a police officer.
Jay Cutler has already served jail time for his 2024 DUI arrest, but recently, body cam footage has been released of Cutler denying he had consumed any alcohol before rear-ending a man in Franklin, Tennessee.
The former NFL and Vanderbilt quarterback was taken into custody last year when he rear-ended a blue GMC around 5 PM on October 17, 2024. Police reports indicated the former athlete’s eyes were “bloodshot,” “glassy,” and “dilated,” and that he reeked of alcohol. Cutler then rejected field sobriety tests, so he was taken to a local hospital to have his blood tested before he was booked at the Williamson County Jail.
Upon a search of Cutler’s vehicle, authorities also discovered two firearms, one of which was a loaded handgun.
He was arrested and later released after paying a $5,000 bond.
Additional information regarding the incident emerged shortly after his arrest, detailing what happened moments before the police arrived on the scene. CBS Chicago first reported—and police later confirmed—that Jay Cutler initially tried to flee following the accident. When the former quarterback failed to do so, he offered the driver of the GMC he had crashed into $2,000 not to report the accident.
I think we can all agree that it’s not the best look for Cutler, and he later decided that it was not in the right state of mind, pleading guilty to the DUI charges. By pleading guilty, the Williamson County prosecutors agreed to drop the weapon possession charge that Cutler was also facing from the October 2024 arrest.
As punishment for drinking and driving, Cutler served four days of jail time earlier this year in addition to paying a $350 fine and was also placed on supervised probation for one year. His Tennessee license was also revoked, and he’s been directed to attend a DUI safety class.
Now the police bodycam footage from the incident has been released. While it’s not nearly as exciting as Morgan Wallen’s footage of him jamming out in the back of a cop car to his own music, it does reveal more information about the case.
After the officers explain to the Cutler and the other man involved in the accident that there is not enough damage to each vehicle to file an incident report, the officers tell the men to exchange information and take a picture of the damage so they can proceed with getting their cars fixed through insurance.
As Cutler is at his truck retrieving his insurance information, an officer asks Cutler how much alcohol he’s consumed that day. Cutler at first says “none,” and then the officer asks him again, urging him to be truthful, given that he’s talking to law enforcement. Cutler hesitates momentarily before saying:
“Uhhh, a little bit.”
The officer then asked Cutler if he’d be willing to take a field sobriety test to ensure he was safe to drive home, but he declined, and law enforcement immediately took him into custody.
Cutler is cooperative with the officers, and he is put in the back of the cop car, where he is taken to a hospital for a blood test. That blood test later revealed that he had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.23%, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08%.
Yeah…I’d say he had a little more than a bit of booze, like he told the officer.
As I said, this footage isn’t showing some crazy incident, given that Cutler didn’t resist arrest whatsoever; however, it’s never a good idea to lie to a cop…
When you’d think that Cutler could move on after serving his jail time and paying his fines, he can think again. Right after being sentenced to serve, he was hit with a lawsuit by the man he rear-ended.
$25,000 Civil Lawsuit
Perry Lee, the driver of the blue GMC that Cutler rear-ended, is now bringing a civil lawsuit against the former QB, the New York Post reports. He filed the lawsuit just days after Cutler pled guilty to the misdemeanor, and the filing itself alleges that Cutler was “at fault for the collision and failed to use reasonable and due care in the operation of the vehicle he was driving.” Considering all the reports, that allegation seems obviously true.
The lawsuit goes on to say that Lee is seeking damages in excess of $25,000, as the claimant says that he suffered “loss of earning capacity, lost wages, and other out-of-pocket expenses.” Perry Lee’s attorneys said this in a statement:
“Our client is a veteran who was injured in a car crash due to the alleged negligence of another driver. His injuries from the crash cause him daily pain and have eroded his quality of life. We are seeking justice for him so he can get the care he needs and try to move forward with his life.”
Something tells me Jay Cutler just wants to move forward with his life, too, and I could see a world where the former QB dips into some of his NFL money to pay the damages the lawsuit alleges, so that he can put his 2024 crash and DUI arrest behind him.
