Bucs' Boston arrested on DUI charges

PINELLAS PARK - Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver David Boston was arrested on DUI charges Thursday.

A passerby called police about 7:25 p.m. Thursday after the dark red Range Rover he was driving did not move when the light turned green at Park Boulevard and 49th Street N, said Capt. Sandy Forseth, the Pinellas Park police spokesman

Police arrived about a minute later to find Boston, 29, passed out behind the steering wheel. The SUV, which was in the southbound lanes of 49th, was running and in drive.

The first officer on the scene called in a traffic officer experienced in alcohol-related DUis and one of the department's certified drug recognition experts. DRE's are specially trained to recognize the indications that someone has taken drugs, Forseth said.

Officers had to "open the door and wake him up," Forseth said. They had Boston step out of the Range Rover and moved him out of the line of traffic.

"In Mr. Boston's case, his eyes were really indicating that something was going on there," Forseth said. "There's a fluttering, a bouncing of the eyeballs. They call it nystagmus. Mr. Boston's eyes were displaying a lot of nystagmus."

Forseth said he believed officers conducted four field sobriety tests. The results of those tests combined with their observations of Boston's eyeballs, speech and demeanor gave them reason to believe he was "impaired by some controlled substance or alcohol."

Officers took Boston into custody and tested him for alcohol to eliminate that as a possible reason for his alleged impairment. When the test was negative, officers took a urine sample to test for drugs. The results of those tests will not be available for several days, Forseth said.

Boston was charged with driving under the influence and released on his own recognisance.

Forseth said Boston made no incriminating statements. He did tell officers that he had left the practice field area in Orlando's Celebration and was headed to the Tampa International Airport where he had a hotel room for the night.

"When asked if he knew where he was, he had no idea," Forseth said. When officers told him he was ni Pinellas Park, Forseth said he responded, "Where is Pinellas Park? He thought he was somewhere in Hillsborough."

After officials receive the results of the urine test, a decision will be made whether to prosecute Boston and what charge he might ultimately face.

Boston has some history with illegal substances. According to the Miami Herald, he tested positive for marijuana and cocaine during a 2002 traffic stop.

In 2004, Boston was suspended for four games with the Miami Dolphins for violating the league’s steroid policy. At the time of his suspension, he had already suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Boston appealed, claiming he did not take an anabolic steroid, but it was denied. Later that month,  Boston was charged with simple assault in Burlington, Vt., and eventually pleaded no contest to striking a ticket agent at the airport.

The Cardinals first round draft choice in 1999, Boston’s best season was 2001 when he had 98 catches for 1,598 yards and eight touchdowns. He spent one season in San Diego, where he caught 70 passes for 880 yards and seven TDs but was dealt to Miami for a sixth-round pick because of run-ins with Marty Schottenheimer.

-- Casey Cora and Anne Lindberg, Times staff writers

Gruden jumps for Jolley -- again

Extra attentive Bucs fans may remember Doug Jolley as the Oakland Raiders player coach Jon Gruden hurdled during an interception return for touchdown in the Bucs 2003 Super Bowl victory.

The Bucs on Thursday traded an undisclosed draft pick to the New York Jets for the tight end. The move comes 20 months after the Jets shipped a first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders as part of a deal to acquire Jolley.

Jolley (6-4, 250) made 119 receptions for 1,296 yards and six touchdowns through his first four seasons. His best single-season total came during his 2002 rookie season, in which he caught 32 passes for 409 yards and two touchdowns for the NFL’s top-ranked offense.

Round 2 for Receivers

Saturday's game against the Dolphins will be critical for many players, but particularly for many members of the receiving corps.

There are so many receivers fighting for only a few available spots, so the Bucs will be watching many of the reserves closely this week. Much of next week's game at Jacksonville will be played by the starters -- probably most of the first half -- so the opportunities for the backups will be fewer.

Thus, this is the week to make an impression. We'll be watching closely guys like David Boston, who didn't show much in his preseason debut and hasn't exactly lit it up in practice of late. This comes after a brilliant first week of camp when Boston looked nimble and fast.

It'll also be interesting to see if Chas Gessner, the journeyman out of Brown University, can have a good showing. He is quickly gaining a reputation as a practice player who doesn't show up in games. Gessner didn't have any of the 14 receptions in last week's contest against the Jets despite drawing roars from the crowd in training camp for his many difficult catches.

Another receiver to watch: Paris Warren. He has been having an impressive camp, and he clearly has made an impact on coach Jon Gruden. Whether that's enough to keep him around remains to be seen. But right now, he appears to be the Bucs' best chance to make something of the three receivers they drafted in 2005: Warren, J.R. Russell and Larry Brackins. Russell is still around and needs to make some gains quickly if he intends to stick.

And don't forget about Edell Shepherd. Though he became a contributor last season and helped win a game with his decisive touchdown reception against the Redskins, he also can be inconsistent and dropped the most important pass of 2005: a would-be touchdown in the wildcard game against the Redskins.

The sure things to make the final roster, as of today, appear to be Joey Galloway, Michael Clayton, third-round pick Maurice Stovall, and Gruden favorite Ike Hilliard. That leaves two, maybe three (and that's a real stretch) available spots on the 53-man roster.

Let the competition begin.