Leonard Little apologizes

**dirk digler** · 04-10-2005, 08:36 AM

He actually sounds sincere.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/spo...D?OpenDocument

Leonard Little discusses his drunken driving arrest
By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
04/09/2005

Rams defensive end Leonard Little
(HUY RICHARD MACH/P-D)

Rams defensive end Leonard Little simply says he was with some friends the night of April 23, 2004.

"Not players or anything like that," Little said Saturday. "But I was with some friends, and we were just hanging out. Listening to music. It wasn't anything wild or anything like that."

Little's alcohol consumption that night?

"Just two beers," Little said.

Well after midnight on what became April 24, Little headed home on Highway 40. He lives in St. Charles, but had to drop off a friend first.

"I was just trying to get home," he said. "I was tired. It was late. And I'm not usually up that late. I was just trying to get home. I saw the (police) lights behind me. I got pulled over to the side of the road."

He was charged with speeding and drunken driving after being questioned by Ladue police officer Gregory Stork and given field sobriety tests. Little refused to submit to a breath analysis test at the Ladue police station, which would have pinpointed accurately his blood-alcohol content.

Stork later would testify in court that there was no doubt in his mind that Little was drunk. Little's attorney, Scott Rosenblum, portrayed Stork as a police officer with an agenda of making as many DWI arrests as he could.

"I don't have anything against the police officer," Little said. "He was a nice guy, but I think he just had bad intentions. That's the only comment I'll make about it. I'm not here to bash the police department, because I respect police and I respect authority."

More than 11 months later - on April 1, 2005 - a St. Louis County jury found Little guilty of speeding but acquitted him of the felony drunken driving charge. Had he be found guilty of drunken driving, Little could have been sentenced to four years in jail under Missouri's persistent offender law because of a previous drunken driving offense, one that led to a fatality. He also could have been subject to suspension by the National Football League.

While waiting nearly five hours for the verdict, Little kept reading a prayer given to his mother from James White, a pastor from back home. (Little is from Asheville, N.C.; White is from nearby Spartanburg, S.C.)

"It said: 'Be strong and courageous. Don't be anxious. Live life anew.' Which means start a new life," Little said. "It really helped me out. God's given me confidence, and I had that faith that everything was going to work out fine."

In his first comments to the media about the trial and about the 2004 arrest, Little told the Post-Dispatch: "The people that support me, and the people that know me, knew I wasn't intoxicated driving."

Even so, Little conceded that having anything to drink and getting behind the wheel of his 2003 Mercedes, "was stupid on my part. That was a dumb mistake I made that night, driving home, even though I wasn't intoxicated."

It's a lesson many think Little should have learned in October 1998, when the Lincoln Navigator he was driving in downtown St. Louis collided with a car driven by Susan Gutweiler of Oakville. Gutweiler, 47, was killed. Little admitted he was drinking, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service, 90 nights in jail, and four years probation.

After the latest incident, Little said he will bring a designated driver with him if he ever goes out for a beer again.

"I guarantee you that," Little said. "But I doubt if I ever touch any alcohol at all again. It's not worth it. It's not worth my family. It's not worth my career. ... I've had plenty of time to think about it. And it's not worth it. So it's best for me not to do it at all, than to do it and get myself in another jam."

Little says he rarely drinks alcohol.

"Probably once a month," he said. "A lot of guys go out and they ask me to go out. I always stay home. I don't put myself in that environment too often. I'm always at home, usually watching TV. That's my best hobby - watching TV."

Of course, Little went out once too often in 1998. That year, several teammates took him out drinking on Oct. 19, the night of the drunken-driving fatality, to celebrate Little's 24th birthday.

"If I could take back what happened I would," Little said. "I'd give everything back. That was the dumbest decision I ever made in my life. It's going to weigh on me probably for the rest of my life.

"Whenever I leave this earth, it's going to stay with me. There's no day that I don't wake up, there's no day that I don't walk into that stadium, there's no day that I'm with my mom and my daughter that I don't think about it. I'm the person that was held accountable that night. And I failed."

Little said he still wants to meet with the Gutweiler family - minus the media and minus attorneys - to say he's sorry and to ask their forgiveness.

"I think it will help because they'll see how I really feel about the whole situation, instead of hearsay and stuff like that," Little said. "Put it out on the table, that's the only thing I can do. Hopefully, they'll accept it a little bit and just try to make things better.

"I try to put myself in their shoes, losing a mother. A mistake I made cost somebody their life. And that's hard to deal with. I know God has forgiven me for it. But have I forgiven myself for it? I don't think I ever will."

Even if he never meets the Gutweiler family, Little said he would like the general public to know, "that I'm not this heartless guy that doesn't care. ... I'm not just this machine that plays football and doesn't care about anything else but playing football."

Despite everything that has happened, Little says he can be a role model and a positive influence. In fact, he thinks that is his obligation. He already is involved in several charitable endeavors and community service efforts in North Carolina and St. Louis. He would like to do more.

As for those who think he has a drinking problem, or would be in jail if he wasn't an athlete, Little says:

"People can say anything they want to about it. But until they know me, until they've been around me, then all that stuff means a hill of beans. It's just opinions.

"This whole ordeal has made me so much stronger than I was before. People can say anything about me, and it doesn't bother me at all. Because I know deep down in my heart what type of person I am."

04-10-2005, 08:36 AM	Topic Starter
dirk digler Please squeeze Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Clinton, MO Casino cash: $2744644	Leonard Little apologizes He actually sounds sincere. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/spo...D?OpenDocument Leonard Little discusses his drunken driving arrest By Jim Thomas Of the Post-Dispatch 04/09/2005 Rams defensive end Leonard Little (HUY RICHARD MACH/P-D) Rams defensive end Leonard Little simply says he was with some friends the night of April 23, 2004. "Not players or anything like that," Little said Saturday. "But I was with some friends, and we were just hanging out. Listening to music. It wasn't anything wild or anything like that." Little's alcohol consumption that night? "Just two beers," Little said. Well after midnight on what became April 24, Little headed home on Highway 40. He lives in St. Charles, but had to drop off a friend first. "I was just trying to get home," he said. "I was tired. It was late. And I'm not usually up that late. I was just trying to get home. I saw the (police) lights behind me. I got pulled over to the side of the road." He was charged with speeding and drunken driving after being questioned by Ladue police officer Gregory Stork and given field sobriety tests. Little refused to submit to a breath analysis test at the Ladue police station, which would have pinpointed accurately his blood-alcohol content. Stork later would testify in court that there was no doubt in his mind that Little was drunk. Little's attorney, Scott Rosenblum, portrayed Stork as a police officer with an agenda of making as many DWI arrests as he could. "I don't have anything against the police officer," Little said. "He was a nice guy, but I think he just had bad intentions. That's the only comment I'll make about it. I'm not here to bash the police department, because I respect police and I respect authority." More than 11 months later - on April 1, 2005 - a St. Louis County jury found Little guilty of speeding but acquitted him of the felony drunken driving charge. Had he be found guilty of drunken driving, Little could have been sentenced to four years in jail under Missouri's persistent offender law because of a previous drunken driving offense, one that led to a fatality. He also could have been subject to suspension by the National Football League. While waiting nearly five hours for the verdict, Little kept reading a prayer given to his mother from James White, a pastor from back home. (Little is from Asheville, N.C.; White is from nearby Spartanburg, S.C.) "It said: 'Be strong and courageous. Don't be anxious. Live life anew.' Which means start a new life," Little said. "It really helped me out. God's given me confidence, and I had that faith that everything was going to work out fine." In his first comments to the media about the trial and about the 2004 arrest, Little told the Post-Dispatch: "The people that support me, and the people that know me, knew I wasn't intoxicated driving." Even so, Little conceded that having anything to drink and getting behind the wheel of his 2003 Mercedes, "was stupid on my part. That was a dumb mistake I made that night, driving home, even though I wasn't intoxicated." It's a lesson many think Little should have learned in October 1998, when the Lincoln Navigator he was driving in downtown St. Louis collided with a car driven by Susan Gutweiler of Oakville. Gutweiler, 47, was killed. Little admitted he was drinking, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service, 90 nights in jail, and four years probation. After the latest incident, Little said he will bring a designated driver with him if he ever goes out for a beer again. "I guarantee you that," Little said. "But I doubt if I ever touch any alcohol at all again. It's not worth it. It's not worth my family. It's not worth my career. ... I've had plenty of time to think about it. And it's not worth it. So it's best for me not to do it at all, than to do it and get myself in another jam." Little says he rarely drinks alcohol. "Probably once a month," he said. "A lot of guys go out and they ask me to go out. I always stay home. I don't put myself in that environment too often. I'm always at home, usually watching TV. That's my best hobby - watching TV." Of course, Little went out once too often in 1998. That year, several teammates took him out drinking on Oct. 19, the night of the drunken-driving fatality, to celebrate Little's 24th birthday. "If I could take back what happened I would," Little said. "I'd give everything back. That was the dumbest decision I ever made in my life. It's going to weigh on me probably for the rest of my life. "Whenever I leave this earth, it's going to stay with me. There's no day that I don't wake up, there's no day that I don't walk into that stadium, there's no day that I'm with my mom and my daughter that I don't think about it. I'm the person that was held accountable that night. And I failed." Little said he still wants to meet with the Gutweiler family - minus the media and minus attorneys - to say he's sorry and to ask their forgiveness. "I think it will help because they'll see how I really feel about the whole situation, instead of hearsay and stuff like that," Little said. "Put it out on the table, that's the only thing I can do. Hopefully, they'll accept it a little bit and just try to make things better. "I try to put myself in their shoes, losing a mother. A mistake I made cost somebody their life. And that's hard to deal with. I know God has forgiven me for it. But have I forgiven myself for it? I don't think I ever will." Even if he never meets the Gutweiler family, Little said he would like the general public to know, "that I'm not this heartless guy that doesn't care. ... I'm not just this machine that plays football and doesn't care about anything else but playing football." Despite everything that has happened, Little says he can be a role model and a positive influence. In fact, he thinks that is his obligation. He already is involved in several charitable endeavors and community service efforts in North Carolina and St. Louis. He would like to do more. As for those who think he has a drinking problem, or would be in jail if he wasn't an athlete, Little says: "People can say anything they want to about it. But until they know me, until they've been around me, then all that stuff means a hill of beans. It's just opinions. "This whole ordeal has made me so much stronger than I was before. People can say anything about me, and it doesn't bother me at all. Because I know deep down in my heart what type of person I am."
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