We’ll start with the bad news. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was arrested Monday night in Kenner and charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle; a police statement said that Olave was clocked at driving 70 miles per hour on Joe Yenni Boulevard, a zone carrying a 35 mile per hour speed limit, also “traveling at the high rate of speed, recklessly maneuvering between lanes and other drivers.” He was arrested at 9:10 p.m. CT.
Olave was booked and later released from Kenner City Jail at 11:30 p.m. CT. In Louisiana, a first offense for reckless operation of a motor vehicle can result in a penalty of no more than $200 and a prison sentence of up to 90 days. A second offense results in a fine of up to $500 and a 10-day prison sentence (at minimum). We’ll have to wait and see how this develops for Olave.
But don’t expect much discipline from the NFL head office. Traffic violations like this one rarely result in suspensions by the league — it’s just one example, but earlier this year Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison was cited for driving 140 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone, but he was not fined or suspended by the league office. The Saints may issue disciple internally, but this shouldn’t dramatically impact Olave’s availability moving forward.
