2009 WNBA – Quick Thoughts on the Taurasi DUI

[This will be quick as I’m suffering from major RSI issues at present and don’t want to type much.]

Given the numbers of WNBA athletes having to play basketball overseas for about 8 months of the year in countries where the drinking traditions are different than in the U.S., I can’t say that I’m very surprised that there was a slip-up. I’m actually more surprised that there haven’t been more.

After seeing over the years how easily the vodka flowed within Spartak (and presumably the Russian league in general…it’s pretty much a given that it is applied to the wounds of defeat as well as tipped in the thrill of victory), I’ve been expecting one of the stars of the league to misjudge their consumption and metabolism.

For this specific case, I still don’t have enough details to form a good opinion. Arizona’s legal limit is 0.08%. Given Dee’s height, weight, and gender even four shots of 80-proof vodka within an hour shouldn’t have reached 0.08%. (Now…I’m making no claims or assumptions about anything that may or may not have been consumed in this case. This is just math based on how bodies typically metabolize alcohol.)

It’s pretty much a given that Dee will have to serve the standard WNBA two-game suspension if she is found guilty of the citation. Given the speed of our courts, that might not be until next season. Doubtless there will also be community service should the accusation hold. I suspect the lawyers have advised Dee not to admit anything until the blood-alcohol test results are posted. Refusing the breathalyzer in favor of the more accurate blood test might have bought her enough time to metabolize enough alcohol to bring her in under the limit (I was taught that trick in driver’s ed).

What is ultimately important is that neither she nor anyone else was involved in a irrecoverable tragedy. People will say that Taurasi will need support in this difficult time. I’m a little less sympathetic. Taurasi needed the support of her friends and fans BEFORE she was allowed behind the wheel when she was allegedly over the legal limit (though given how strong and strong-willed Dee is, I’m not sure I’d want to have that conversation with her).

What happens now is pretty much up to Diana. Not her friends. Not her fans. Not the league. Not the media. Not her sponsors. Diana.