Cincinnati Bengals' cornerback Leon Hall was cited this past Sunday for driving under the influence and driving left of center in in Clermont County on Ohio 125. It was reported that Hall had a blood-alcohol level of 0.149, which is almost twice the legal limit of 0.08 in Ohio.

Hall's attorney entered a not guilty plea this morning on his behalf. A cruiser cam shows Hall telling the officer that he was rushing home because his wife was having a baby.

The Bengals have had their fair share players with a run in with the law. Hall, a third year player out of Michigan, is just another added to the list. For a player with a bright future and one that was coming into his own last year, this would be a step back and just another offense that the media can spin and use to dig against the Bengals, again.

On a personal note and as a huge Bengals fan myself, I am giving Hall the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully more information will come out as this goes forward and we will find out that his wife was in labor and that was why he was driving erratically. Drinking and driving is never okay. If Hall has to face a DUI charge and he gets found guilty then he's just another in the long line of professional athletes that, for some reason, think its alright to drive intoxicated rather than calling a cab or a friend or a teammate and have them drive them wherever they need to go.

Hall has a very bright future with the Bengals. If found guilty, the sad part isn't so much that he made the decision he made, but that the image of the team he plays for just takes another hit. The Bengals don't do themselves any favors with the players they choose to sign that come with baggage, but in this case Hall was one of the last guys you'd expect to find getting in trouble with the law.  Hopefully he will be found not guilty and all of this will go away, Even if Hall is found not guilty you can count on the crew from ESPN covering the NFL draft in a couple weeks to talk about it along with every other player that's had a run in with the law on the Bengals.

NFL cincinnati bengals, leon hall