There were three new developments Wednesday as the story of Kansas City Chief Dwayne Bowe’s weekend drug bust unfolds. The Chiefs wide receiver issued an apology, his lawyer said he was innocent, and his coach said he’d start on Sunday.
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“I apologize to the Hunt Family, Coach Reid, my teammates and Chiefs fans for the distraction I have caused the team this week,” Bowe said in a statement. “Due to the nature of the pending matter, I am unable to make any further comment on the situation.”
His lawyer, attorney Kevin E. J. Regan, told KMBC-TV his client is “unequivocaqlly, 100% innocent in this matter.”
“We look forward to clearing his good name at our earliest opportunity.”
Bowe was arrested on suspicion of speeding and possessing a controlled substance, according to Riverside police. But head coach Andy Reid says the situation is not a distraction to the team, which faces the Denver Broncos Sunday night in a pivotal division matchup.
“It is a legal matter and that’s the way we’ll handle it,” Reid told reporters.
“Dwayne will play. He’ll start.”
“I’m sure the question will come up about the ‘Dwayne part’ being a distraction, but I think this football team is focused in on the Denver Broncos, and solely on the Denver Broncos.”
This isn’t the first time that Bowe has made questionable decisions.
He was suspended four games in 2009 for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs after taking what his agent called an unapproved weight-loss supplement. He also made questionable comments to a magazine a few years ago about womanizing that allegedly occurred at team hotels, and then misstated the name of Chiefs ownership family in his apology.
Now in his seventh season, Bowe is second in franchise history with 448 catches, trailing only former tight end Tony Gonzalez. He has 6,078 yards receiving, sixth-most in team history, and 41 touchdown catches, fifth-most in Chiefs history.
Bowe, who signed five-year, $56 million deal in the offseason, has struggled to live up to the expectations that come with being one of the game’s best-paid wide receivers. He’s second on the team with 33 catches for 369 yards and two touchdowns.