Bear coach Mike Ditka`s driver`s license was suspended Friday for six months because of an arrest for drunken driving made just hours after one of the biggest victories in the team`s championship season.
Cook County Associate Judge Earl B. Hoffenberg, in Schaumburg traffic court, ruled the suspension was automatically triggered by Ditka`s refusal to submit to a breath test Oct. 14. Defense attorneys James Alesia and Don Reuben contended that state trooper Jesse Armstrong provoked Ditka into rejecting the test by handcuffing him.
”Based on the evidence we introduced and the discredited testimony of the trooper, the judge`s ruling was clearly erroneous,” said Alesia. He added it would be up to Ditka whether to appeal.
Ditka, who did not talk to reporters, was convicted Nov. 3 and fined $300.
State law requires a motorist to submit to a Breathalyzer test if a police officer has reasonable grounds to suspect the motorist is drunk.
Ditka was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and other traffic offenses after being arrested by Armstrong on Int. Hwy. 294 just north of O`Hare Airport. Ditka was returning from the Bears` 26-10 victory over the 49ers on Oct. 13 in San Francisco.
”The act of handcuffing Coach Ditka by the trooper was the same thing as fighting words,” Reuben said. ”It was provocation.”
