Clark Haggans Suspension: 49ers LB Gets 3-Game Ban For DUI Conviction

ESPN is reporting that 49ers Linebacker Clark Haggans has been suspended for three games by the NFL for a 2011 DUI arrest in Arizona.

Haggans, who signed with San Francisco earlier this month, will miss the 49ers’ games against the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Buffalo Bills as a result of the suspension.

He can return to the team October 8 and will be eligible to play against the New York Giants.

“Earlier today the team was made aware of the NFL’s decision to suspend Clark Haggans for three games,” 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. “We were certainly aware that this decision was a possibility as we evaluated Clark prior to adding him to our roster. Therefore, we are prepared to move forward accordingly.”

At the time of his drunken driving arrest, the second DUI for the 35-year-old, Haggans had a blood alcohol level of higher than 0.15, which is considered extreme DUI in Arizona.

CBS Sports states that the 13-year NFL veteran issued a statement through his agent, Jeff Sperbeck, on June 20, which explained the incident.

“I was at a concert with my wife when I got a call from our babysitter that our 5-year-old daughter was having trouble breathing,” Haggans’ statement reads. “She has been on medicine and inhalers since she was born because of her underdeveloped lungs. The sitter was panicked. I had been drinking and my wife was planning on driving home from the concert. But my wife was wandering around when I got the call, and I couldn’t find her. I tried calling her within the concert, but had no luck getting a hold of her. I needed to get home to my daughter immediately. I felt that my only choice was to drive home. While driving home, I sped and ran a red light, so I was pulled over. I, along with the officers, proceeded to my house and administered the treatment and my daughter responded.”

Haggans served two days in a Pennsylvania jail in June as part of his sentence.