Cardinals GM Steve Keim refused field sobriety tests before DUI arrest
Jul 10, 2018, 10:16 AM | Updated: Jul 11, 2018, 1:32 pm
Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim, right, talks with Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians during an NFL football training camp practice, Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX — Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim refused to participate in several field sobriety tests, including a breath test, before he was arrested for suspicion of DUI early in the morning on July 4 in suburban Phoenix, according to the police report released Tuesday.
Keim consented to having his blood drawn after his arrest, but results of alcohol content testing were not yet available.
Keim told police he had been “bouncing around” and had just been at a friend’s house when he was pulled over by an unmarked Ford Explorer around 12:30 a.m. near Dobson and Ocotillo roads.
The report said he’d been driving erratically. Officers smelled alcohol on his breath and noted slurred speech.
Keim, who had been driving a Ford F150 XLT pickup, said he’d consumed two beers while eating pizza over the previous one or two hours, according to the report.
Police said Keim had trouble following the tip of a ballpoint pen without moving his head. He then refused to complete the “walk and turn” and “one leg stand” field tests, citing a pre-existing knee injury.
He was handcuffed using two sets of cuffs to accommodate his wide shoulders (the report listed him as 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds) and transported to a DUI command van at the Chandler Municipal Court. He was released just before 2 a.m. after processing.
News of the arrest came out Saturday, and afterward the team and Keim released statements.
“We are aware of the incident on Wednesday involving Steve Keim. He fully recognizes the seriousness of the situation and that this type of behavior is unacceptable and inexcusable,” the Cardinals’ statement said.
“Steve immediately alerted the team who in turn reported it to the NFL as required under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. We are continuing to gather information and will handle the matter appropriately and in accordance with all league policies as well as within the legal system.”
Keim, who was promoted to general manager in 2013 after spending time in the team’s front office, called his actions “inexcusable” in his statement.
“I truly regret my incredibly poor judgment and inexcusable actions,” Keim’s statement said. “Everyone associated with the NFL and its teams is held to a high standard of behavior and I obviously failed to meet that. I sincerely apologize to our organization and its fans as well as to my family. I accept full responsibility for my actions and hold myself completely accountable. Moving forward, I will take the steps to ensure that I never put myself or the Cardinals in this type of situation again.”
Keim has been with the organization since 1999. In February, he signed a four-year contract extension through the 2022 season.
An earlier version of this story said Keim told police he was the Cardinals’ director of security. That was what the officer wrote in the original report, but Chandler police later said a review of body camera footage showed that wasn’t what Keim said.
