Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane registered a blood-alcohol-content level well under the legal limit but admitted to having smoked marijuana before he was pulled over early Sunday morning, leading to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to a Washington State Patrol incident report.
Lane was pulled over on Mercer Island just east of Seattle after his 2006 Dodge Charger was clocked traveling 80 mph in a 60 mph zone, according to the report, which was obtained by ESPN. The arresting patrolman said he observed the vehicle drifting and changing lanes without signaling. Lane’s vehicle also had its hazard lights on.
The patrolman wrote in the report that there “was a strong odor of burnt marijuana inside the vehicle” when Lane rolled down the window and that he could smell “a moderate odor of intoxicants emanating from Lane in the open air” once the cornerback stepped out of his vehicle. Lane said he hadn’t been drinking and that he had smoked marijuana about three hours earlier, according to the report.
The Seahawks’ Jeremy Lane told Washington State Patrol when he was pulled over that he hadn’t been drinking and that he had smoked marijuana about three hours earlier, according to an incident report. Michael Zito/AP for Panini
The patrolman noted that Lane’s eyes were watery and bloodshot and that his speech was slow and slurred. Lane showed possible signs of impairment on all three of the field sobriety tests he underwent, according to the report. He agreed to take a breath test and registered a BAC of .039. The legal limit in Washington State is .08.
The patrolman wrote, “I explained to Lane several times throughout our contact that he was under arrest because of his driving ability, performance on the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, and admission to smoking marijuana led me to believe that he was impaired by a combination of alcohol and marijuana.”
The report states Lane expressed concern over being arrested on suspicion of DUI and that he didn’t want people thinking he was drunk, with Lane quoted as saying, “This time I was more high than anything.”
After being taken to Overlake Hospital for a blood draw, Lane was booked into King County Jail and was released almost four hours later on his own recognizance, according to the report and jail records.
After news of Lane’s arrest broke Sunday morning, Lane tweeted, “A fail DUI is 0.08 right? I blew 0.03 why was still arrest!!! I’ll leave it at that.”
The Seahawks have not publicly commented on Lane’s arrest.
Lane, 27, is one of the Seahawks’ longest-tenured players, having been drafted in the sixth round in 2012 out of Northwestern State in Louisiana. He was Seattle’s primary nickelback from 2014 to 2016 and made 21 starts, including six this past season at cornerback.
He is scheduled to make $6 million in salary and count $7.25 million against the cap in each of the remaining two seasons on his contract. Those costs plus Lane’s down 2017 season have led to the belief that he’s unlikely to remain with Seattle in 2018.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Adam Thielen was drained mentally, physically and emotionally.
Being on the field for one of the greatest plays in Minnesota Vikings history and seeing the replay hundreds of times of Case Keenum’s 61-yard pass to Stefon Diggs for the first walk-off touchdown in the fourth quarter of an NFL postseason game, the receiver needed more than just a moment to process what he had witnessed.
Not even 24 hours after the catch that catapulted the Vikings into the NFC Championship Game at the last possible second, the shock factor hadn’t completely worn off for Thielen and his teammates.
“That game took a lot out of me,” Thielen said. “I was just ready to go lay down and not move and hang out with the family. That’s what I did. I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep but laid in bed and thought about the game and all that.”
One would have thought the Vikings were on the receiving end of a loss by the amount of responses that centered on the temporary insomnia caused by the play.
“We just still can’t believe it in the locker room, honestly,” Thielen said. “I woke up [Monday] morning and made sure that it wasn’t a dream and made sure it was a real deal.”
As Diggs corralled Keenum’s pass, caught his balance and sprinted toward the end zone with the final seconds of the game ticking off the clock, Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes shared Thielen’s reaction, frantically checking his surroundings to make sure everything that was playing out wasn’t a façade. When he went home later that night, all he could do was rewatch the play again and again to confirm what he already knew.
“I went home and watched it on ESPN and I kept rewinding it about a thousand times,” Rhodes said. “It was unbelievable.”
As the Vikings began initial preparations for Sunday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, the 24-hour rule was in place. Many players — including Diggs, who made a brief cameo in the locker room — said they had moved past the euphoric high of the moment and were already thinking about their next game.
That didn’t mean they couldn’t appreciate the moment and reflect upon the unthinkable they had achieved as a team.
Cayleb Jones, a practice squad receiver, was the first player to reach Diggs in the end zone, wrapping his arms around his side before being mobbed by their teammates.
“I was so happy for him, I was so happy for everybody,” Jones said. “He saved the day. That’s family.”
The Vikings’ come-from-behind win was the hottest topic in sports at the dawn of the new week. It led every highlight package on TV, was debated on sports talk radio shows across the country, and had fans flocking to newsstands to pick up commemorative copies of Monday’s papers.
Even in the time the Vikings have had to process what they were a part of, the moment still didn’t feel real. The magnitude of the play isn’t lost on these players, but it’s also something that’s hard to grasp with it being so fresh.
Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008
MINNEAPOLIS — The “Minnesota Miracle” happened on a play called “Seven Heaven.” Why do the Minnesota Vikings use that name? Because if the quarterback hits the seven route, a deep corner in this case, well, something heavenly happens.
Stefon Diggs was running the seven route on Sunday night when he caught his miraculous 61-yard touchdown on a heave from Case Keenum that lifted the Vikings to a 29-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints and into the NFC Championship Game. It was third-and-10. The clock showed 10 seconds. The Vikings trailed by one point, had no timeouts remaining and just a 2.6 percent chance to win, according to ESPN’s win-probability model.
Here’s the story of what happened next — the first fourth-quarter, walk-off touchdown in NFL playoff history — as told by the people who lived it on the field:
Diggs, Vikings receiver: “Case said, as I was about to leave [the huddle], ‘I’m going to give somebody a chance.’ That somebody was me.”
Adam Thielen, Vikings receiver: “We knew we had some time on the clock. And we knew that all we needed was a field goal. Obviously, we knew it was going to be tough. All they had to do was stay back and not give up the big play.”
Sean Payton, Saints coach: “It was an outside zone [defense]. We were protecting the sidelines. Anything inside and you’re in a pretty good position when the game is over. It’s a situation we practice quite a bit.”
Linval Joseph, Vikings defensive lineman: “I was thinking that at best we were going to have to kick the longest field goal in NFL history to win this game.”
The Saints rushed four defensive linemen and had seven in coverage.
Cameron Jordan, Saints defensive end: “We had them exactly where we wanted them. As a defensive end and player of my caliber, I should have been able to eradicate that play all together. … Had I been a half-step faster, I would have been able to get off the tight end and tackle and completely take over that play.”
The first two reads were wide receiver Jarius Wright and tight end Kyle Rudolph.
Wright: “We are the guys who can actually catch the ball and run out of bounds on that play. We’re running more of an out route. Diggs was running a deep corner. He’s the big shot on that. We’re the catch-and-get-out-of-bounds guys.”
Keenum, Vikings quarterback: “I’m not going to say I picked out [Diggs] beforehand. But we needed a big chunk. Thielen was on the backside covered. I had to give a guy a chance. I don’t know what the percentage was. I was just trying to give a guy a chance.”
Wright: “We practice that play all the time. But the high seven never gets the ball. It has never been thrown to that route, as far as I can remember.”
Diggs: “I was thinking, ‘Catch it, get out of bounds and maybe kick a field goal.’ I took a picture before I turned around to catch the ball. There was only one guy there. If he slipped, then I was going to try to stay up and keep it going.”
Joseph: “[Diggs] caught the ball and the safety whiffed — he missed, whatever you want to call it. He didn’t get to the ball.”
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That safety was Saints rookie Marcus Williams.
Williams: “It was just my play to make. The ball was in the air. I didn’t go attack it. And he came down and made a great play, and that’s just on me. I just got to be that guy and go up and get the ball. As a safety back there, you got to be the eraser. And that was my job.”
Keenum: “I saw [Diggs] go up, and I was like, ‘He’s got a chance to catch it.’ He caught it. Then, ‘Oh, he’s got a chance to get out of bounds. Get out of bounds!’ But he fell kind of back in bounds, away from [Williams], and then he almost fell over. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I really couldn’t.”
Mike Zimmer, Vikings coach: “That didn’t look like a curse out there to me. That looked like a Hail Mary.”
Diggs: “I was preparing for somebody to contact me so I could go out of bounds, but nobody contacted me. I kind of lost my footing a little bit. I just tried to gather myself with my hand. My hand never let me down. Just tried to gather myself, and the rest is history.”
Thielen: “For him to put his hand down and stay up, it was unbelievable.”
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Payton: “Look, [Williams] jumped and went for the tackle. The call is what we wanted in that situation. The right call.”
Marshon Lattimore, Saints cornerback: “All we had to do to end this game if they catch it is tackle them inbounds. They didn’t have any timeout. I mean, things happen.”
Wright: “I saw the safety miss the tackle. I kind of tripped over the corner [Ken Crawley], who was covering me. Then he was out of the play. He ran to the end zone. Then it was a party. My heart is still pounding.”
Diggs: “They all laid on me, and I almost passed out. There were some heavy guys, and I don’t weigh that much. I was just trying to catch my breath. But I didn’t really think about what happened. I still don’t. It’s kind of like a storybook ending, and it never ends that way.”
Joe Berger, Vikings guard: “I don’t usually show a lot of emotion. This one got me crying a little bit. It’s incredible. I’ve played football for a long time. I don’t ever remember another one like this. To put so much time and work into something, and it comes down to one play at the end of the game, and for it to go your way, with a couple guys making a play, it’s just a great feeling.”
Diggs: “I didn’t boo-hoo. Teary-eyed a little bit. I’ll cry when I’m by myself.”
Harrison Smith, Vikings safety: “My next thought was hoping that nobody was getting hurt in the tunnel, because everyone was on top of Stefon. It was kind of mayhem. He was buried for a while. I was hoping he was OK.”
Wright: “I went and got the ball for him. He didn’t think about it in the emotion. But that’s a keepsake. He’s going to want that.”
Thielen: “I didn’t even make it to the end zone, because I couldn’t even move. I was just thanking the Lord. That’s God’s work, for sure. I couldn’t move. I was in shock.”
Wright: “I’ve been here six years. Things haven’t always gone our way. Things went our way, and it feels so good. We haven’t always had the best luck. This time it was us. You take them how you can get them.”
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Tennessee Titans talked all week about how they wanted an opportunity to show they could hang with the AFC elite. On Saturday night, we learned they aren’t there yet.
The New England Patriots were the better team in every department — coaching, offense and defense — in their 35-14 win. Tennessee’s winning its first playoff game since the 2003 season was a good takeaway from the season, but there still remains a sizable gap between it and the AFC elite. The Titans might not be as close to being true contenders as they had hoped.
“Hopefully, people use this as motivation,” quarterback Marcus Mariota said. “Yeah, it’s nice to get in the playoffs, but you don’t play to just get in, especially coming in the divisional playoff and losing the way we did.”
New England shut down Tennessee after the Titans scored the first touchdown of the game. Tom Brady was vintage, picking apart the holes in the Titans’ defense. A front seven that needed to step up and make Brady uncomfortable was extremely disappointing, barely touching him and failing to register a sack.
On a day when several Titans needed to play their best football ever to pull an upset, none of them — outside of rookie Corey Davis, who scored his first two career touchdowns — played particularly well. The final result was a club that was outclassed by the Patriots.
Marcus Mariota threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns but was sacked eight times by the Patriots. AP Photo/Steven Senne
It’s a bittersweet end to the season for the Titans. They made playoff progress, but there is an apparent need for change in offensive scheme if this team ever hopes to be a championship contender.
The Titans believed Mariota would give them a chance to shock the world, but his teammates and coaches didn’t do a ton to help him out. Plus, Mariota lacked the juice he displayed last week in Kansas City — during the Titans’ wild-card win over the Chiefs — to make splash plays.
Rookie wideout Taywan Taylor dropped two passes that could have led to points and momentum to end the first half. Coach Mike Mularkey completely botched the clock management at the end of the first half, costing the Titans potential points.
Once seen as the Titans’ biggest strength, Tennessee’s offensive line let the team down on Saturday — and too many times throughout the season. Mariota was sacked a career-high eight times at Gillette Stadium. Yes, losing tackle Jack Conklin to injury against the Pats hurt, but that sack total is unacceptable for this bunch. It’s a group that will need to be upgraded in the offseason.
Mularkey had galvanized the Titans late in the season, but he and offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie also must be held responsible for the team’s offensive struggles. These issues have been apparent all season, and they hit with a major thud Saturday night. Tennessee had just 267 total yards of offense, with only 99 coming after halftime and 80 of those coming in a garbage-time final touchdown drive.
From the wild-card round through Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, ESPN.com has the playoffs covered.
Derrick Henry looked a lot more like the tiptoeing running back we saw in Week 17 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars than the downhill bruiser who tantalized the NFL after rushing for 156 yards against the Chiefs. He finished with 12 carries for 28 yards, which was 9 yards fewer than Mariota’s rushing total. That won’t cut it going forward. The Patriots schemed to take Henry away, and it worked.
Just about everything New England did Saturday worked, with little counter from Tennessee.
Yes, the Titans were victims of one poor call and another shaky-at-best call by the officials during the first half. That wasn’t the reason they got beat, however. This blowout loss was because they aren’t yet in the Patriots’ league.
“We have a lot of areas to improve,” Mariota said. “Throughout this entire season, we didn’t play a complete game of football.”
Next Sunday night, we’ll likely watch New England host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game for second consecutive season if Jacksonville doesn’t pull the upset this Sunday. The Titans must realize that status quo won’t lift them to break up that power duo. The gap is bigger than the Titans might have hoped, but it’s not too large to where it can’t eventually close.
