At approximately 2:30 a.m. on a recent Friday, an officer claims to have witnessed the wide receiver attempting to pass a vehicle as he drove through an intersection, which is against the law in Pennsylvania. The officer initiated a traffic stop, during which he suspected Boyd of having consumed alcohol before driving. Supposedly, Boyd admitted to drinking some alcohol. He voluntarily submitted to both a breath test and a blood test.

When he appeared in court on the charges recently, he waived a preliminary hearing and requested to take part in a probation program designed for first-time offenders. If Boyd is accepted into the program and the court allows him to participate, he will not be required to enter a guilty plea. Should he successfully complete the program, he may then petition the court to expunge the arrest from his record. It is not yet known what disciplinary action Boyd might face from the University of Pittsburgh football program.

Everyone makes mistakes and should be given the opportunity to avoid having those mistakes follow them for rest of their lives. The program Boyd is hoping to be accepted into is one of those opportunities. If an individual who is charged with drunk driving for the first time meets the qualifications for this probation program, he or she might be accepted into it as an alternative to having the arrest and charge on his or her record forever.

Source: lancasteronline.com, “Pitt’s Tyler Boyd waives DUI hearing, hopes for probation”, Joe Mandak, July 1, 2015