Matt Bush DUI: Former Rays Reliever Will Serve Three Years Behind Bars

Matt Bush, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays, reportedly will accept a plea bargain for a three-prison sentence in connection with a DUI hit and run rather than go to trial on seven pending charges.

As The Inquisitrpreviously reported, Bush was behind the wheel of an SUV going south on U.S. 41 in the Port Charlotte, Florida, area in late March when he allegedly struck the motorcycle driven by 72-year-old Anthony Tufano, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Bush apparently left the scene of the accident. Tufano was severely injured in the accident and was hospitalized for weeks. Bush was operating his vehicle on a suspended license.

According to ESPN, a witness to the accident stated that “literally, the tire on the SUV ran over the driver’s head. Without the helmet, the gentleman would have been dead instantly.”

The Tufano family has filed a lawsuit against Bush, 26, and the owner of the SUV in civil court for personal injuries.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Police said Bush had a blood alcohol percentage of .180, more than double the level at which Florida considers a driver impaired.”

Bush, a former overall number one draft pick by the San Diego Padres in 2004 who converted from shortstop to righty pitcher, has been jailed on $440,000 bail since his arrest on March 22. He had signed a minor league deal with the Rays in 2010 but was released earlier this fall.

The formal court hearing on the Matt Bush DUI case is scheduled for next Tuesday. The Tampa Bay Times quotes his father as saying that “he’s taking it pretty good. He’s not crying or sulking. He’s preparing for it. Everybody in our family is backing him up.”

Watch a video of the Matt Bush DUI arrest: