Ravens’ Ben Cleveland arrested for DUI in Georgia
Ben Cleveland was caught swerving on a roadway in Georgia with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit.
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Ben Cleveland (Image via NFL/X)
Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Cleveland found himself in legal trouble after he was arrested for driving under the influence. The offensive lineman was arrested last week in Milledgeville, Georgia on the 12th of February.
As reported by TMZ, Ben Cleveland’s blood alcohol limit was double the legal threshold. The 26-year-old Cleveland was pulled over by police around 10:25 p.m. after it was observed that his car was swerving on the roadway. Cops wrote in their report that he nearly drove his black Ford F-250 into a ditch with his erratic style of driving.
Once he was pulled over, Ben Cleveland admitted to drinking “approximately 3-4 beers” at a nearby country club before he chose to get behind the wheel. As per the police, his eyes were glossy and his pickup reeked of booze.
The police report stated that Cleveland’s behavior was disoriented and unsteady as he exited his pickup truck. He was unable to clear the field sobriety test and was immediately taken to a nearby jail for immediate processing. The timing of this incident is unfortunate as the offensive lineman seeks a lucrative contract from Baltimore as his rookie deal expires in a month.
Ben Cleveland’s blood alcohol limit was .178
He was fortunate to be pulled over in time because had he continued to drive, there was a good chance that disaster would have struck. The legally permissible blood alcohol reading is .08 but after Cleveland failed his field sobriety test, he went on to blow a .178 on the breathalyzer.
A second sample taken after he was arrested showed a blood alcohol level of .161. The guard faces two charges, one for driving under the influence of alcohol and the other for failure to maintain the lane. This incident is likely to impact his free agency and market value. The Ravens may choose to move on from him after this incident.
Cleveland stayed in college for five years and played exclusively for the Bulldogs. In his first year, he served as a redshirt freshman. In 2017, Cleveland got an opportunity to play in all 15 games. In 2018, he was selected as one of the game captains and went on to play in 8 of 14 games owing to an injury.
He made it to the All-SEC Third Team Offense in 2019, the Second-team All-America by The Athletic in 2020, Third-Team All-America by the Associated Press, All-SEC First Team by the AP, and was voted the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week in his final year in college.
The Baltimore Ravens selected him with their third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then, Ben Cleveland has played as a backup offensive lineman. He got the opportunity to play in all 17 regular season games and the playoffs this season. Cleveland has 7 starts in 3 seasons. The Ravens have not released a statement regarding his arrest just yet.
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