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Posted at 10:17 a.m., Friday, September 7, 2007

NFL: Jury finds Tampa Bay's Stevens guilty of DUI

Associated Press

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A jury found Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Jerramy Stevens guilty today of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Stevens was arrested in March after police stopped his car in downtown Scottsdale.

Police said Stevens smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.

The 27-year-old went to trial on three DUI charges, all stemming from the March incident.

A jury began hearing the case Wednesday and delivered its verdict this morning — guilty on all three counts, said Mike Phillips, a Scottsdale spokesman.

Stevens faces a jail sentence of at least 30 days under an Arizona law for "extreme" intoxication, where a driver has a blood alcohol content of .15 percent or higher. The legal limit in Arizona is .08 percent. Stevens' measured .20 percent when he was arrested.

Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden said earlier this week he expects Stevens to play Sunday.

Court officials said sentencing is set for Oct. 2.

Stevens has had other run-ins with the law.

In June 2003, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a plea deal after being stopped in the Seattle suburb of Medina for investigation of drunken driving. He received a two-day jail sentence.

He received another five days in jail for violating his probation after he drove into a nursing home in 2000 in a hit-and-run case. Stevens was a student at Washington at the time.

The 6-foot-7, 265-pounder was a first-round draft pick by the Seahawks, the 28th selection overall, in 2002. He had a career-best 45 catches for 554 yards, a record for Seattle tight ends, in the Seahawks' 2005 Super Bowl season.

Last season, Stevens caught 22 passes for 231 yards and four touchdown