Rod Strickland Arrested
Rod Strickland of the Washington Wizards was arrested and charged with drunken driving in another legal entanglement for the disgruntled guard.
Strickland hasn't played in nearly two weeks because of an injured shoulder and a clash with management over his work habits. He has asked to be traded from the team with the NBA's second-worst record.
Strickland was arrested early Sunday after driving erratically on the parkway near CIA headquarters in McLean, Va., police said Monday.
Strickland refused to take a breathalyzer test, U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. Rob MacLean said. He has been charged with driving under the influence and failure to stay in lanes.
He is expected to appear before a U.S. magistrate in Alexandria, Va., at the end of the month.
Strickland completed a year's probation and 30 hours of community service work for a 1998 conviction for driving under the influence. He was acquitted of a similar charge in 1999.
In November, Strickland was charged with refusing to leave a nightclub after it had been shut by fire marshals. The charge was later dropped.
The latest arrest further complicates Strickland's situation with the Wizards. In the week after Christmas, Strickland missed two practices without notifying the team, a team-scheduled doctor's appointment and a road trip to Miami.
He also expressed his desire to go to another team and complained when he played only 18 minutes the day after he missed one of the practices.
In return, the Wizards have fined Strickland twice and suspended him for one game. Strickland then went to see his own doctor, who last week diagnosed a muscle tear in the point guard's left shoulder. Days earlier, Strickland sat out a game when he complained of sore hamstrings.
Because of the shoulder injury, Strickland stayed home during the team's current road trip, which began Sunday night with a loss to New York. He has not played since Dec. 27. The Wizards next play on Tuesday at Milwaukee.
The suspension, injury and now the arrest have hurt Strickland's value on the trade market. Michael Jordan, the president of basketball operations, had been trying to shop Strickland, one of several highly paid veterans who have limited the team's mobility under the salary cap.
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