Jordan Hill Arrested for Reckless Driving in Atlanta

Someone should tell Jordan Hill driving at 107 mph ‘because you’re in a hurry’ is not a good idea, especially in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Indiana Pacers recently acquired former Los Angeles Lakers PF Jordan Hill on July 9th. He was arrested in Atlanta – less than a month into his new contract with the Pacers – for reckless driving. Per WSB-TV 2 in Atlanta, Hill was detained for driving 107 miles per hour …I will let that sink in …He was recklessly speeding in Georgia. Everyone east of the Mississippi knows that the last place you want to get pulled over is in Georgia. An even worse idea is to do 107 mph while passing a patrol unit.

Reporter Mike Petchenik, “Several people called 911 to report the vehicle on Tuesday — and cops eventually caught up to the former Lakers player, who was driving a Range Rover.” The report continued, “Dash cam footage shows cops putting a shirtless Hill in cuffs and placing him in the back of a cop car.” Fox59 added to the details of the arrest, “When a police officer asked hill why he was going so fast, Hill said he was in a hurry.”

Now let’s analyze this situation carefully. In a hurry or not, this is the last thing you want to do as a player on a new team. You never want to to pull some asinine stunt in the offseason that causes that team bad publicity. Most assuredly, it is an even worse idea when your boss is Larry Bird. He still remembers the off-court legal fiascos of several players from his early 2000’s teams, not to mention the 2004 Malice in the Palace. Since then, Bird has frowned on off-court issues more than the average executive.

Remember, Jordan Hill signed a one-year deal. One-year deals for veterans like Hill are also called “prove-it deals.” Even if you have a fresh – yet modest – $5 million contract, the best way to lose that opportunity is to cause bad PR for the organization. Getting in trouble with the law is a sure-fire way to get – pardon the pun – an express ride straight into Larry Bird’s doghouse.

Jordan Hill has an a great opportunity for a fresh start in Indiana. He has the potential to be a starter at power forward. What he needed to do most was come in get to work and put his nose to the grindstone. Instead he makes a bad decision and ends up on television shirtless and in hand cuffs.

In fairness, this was just reckless driving which is still a crime. It wasn’t a DUI, drug possession or domestic violence. It is a very bad sign that such a mistake came so early in his contract. Is this a bad portent of things to come? Or is it a one-time blunder? For Jordan Hill, all we can do is hope he learns from a boneheaded mistake and does not make this kind of behavior a habit.

Pacers president of basketball operations, Larry Bird released a statement on Pacers.com in response to the arrest:

“We have been informed Jordan was arrested for allegedly reckless driving in Atlanta, Georgia. It is obvious we don’t condone this. We will address this with Jordan. This is a major concern of safety, not just for Jordan, but for others.”

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