Boxer Errol Spence Jr., a welterweight boxing champion from DeSoto, pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of driving while intoxicated and said he would use his platform to warn others of the dangers of driving drunk.
“As I recovered, I thought of how much I could have lost and how blessed I was to have a second chance at life, but I also know with this platform I can spread a very powerful message,” Spence, 32, wrote in a statement issued through the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. “Don’t drink and drive. Not one drink. It’s not worth it.”
Spence was ordered to spend three days in jail, court records show.
Spence was speeding about 3 a.m. Oct. 10, 2019, after a night of bar-hopping, according to a news release from District Attorney John Creuzot. Spence’s Ferrari veered over a median in the 500 block of South Riverfront Boulevard and flipped several times. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car.
Court records do not reveal Spence’s speed or intoxication level.
Spence was taken to the intensive care unit at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. He has said he suffered soft tissue damage, broken teeth and scratches, but no broken bones or fractures.
“Fortunately, no one else was involved in the accident and I am most grateful for that,” Spence said. “It was an incident that would profoundly change my life.”
Spence recently clinched a meaningful win in a April 16 fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Creuzot praised Spence for taking responsibility for his actions and using his platform for awareness.
“While it would have been easier to hide from the truth,” Creuzot said, “it is refreshing to see this world-class athlete step up and use his lapse in judgment as an opportunity to spread the message that it is never okay to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated.”
