Former Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets quarterback Jack Trudeau was arrested Sunday night in Zionsville, Indiana. He now faces three charges: OWI (operating while intoxicated), public intoxication and intimidating a police officer. Trudeau might be best known in this region of the country as the QB of the 1984 Rose Bowl Illinois Fighting Illini team.
That should have been a badge of honor, but it carries with it a dubious distinction now. The 1983 Illini were and always will be the only team to go 9-0 against the rest of the Big Ten in a single season when the league was actually ten teams.
Unfortunately, they didn’t show up at all to the 1984 Rose Bowl where they PASTED by the unranked UCLA Bruins. How a 10-1, ranked in the top 5 Illini team got utterly DESTROYED by an unranked 6-4-1 UCLA team has been explained away throughout history by a certain urban legend.
I can only discuss that story offline as it’s never been verified, but let’s just say that the tale has become even more believable now in the wake of this Jack Trudeau news. The former Illini signal caller was drafted in the second round by the Colts in 1986. He played for Indy until 1993, when he moved to the Jets. He was also a member of the Carolina Panthers roster in their inaugural season of 1995.
The 52-year-old Jack Trudeau threatened a police officer during his arrest, the Associated Press claims. He then reportedly registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.31 percent, nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08 percent. The AP also says that Trudeau paid a $2,500 fine in 2007 after allowing underage drinking at his home. Deadspin did a story on it back then, which turned up this:
“As noted in the Indy Star, Trudeau, in 1987, admitted to striking a cop in a bar brawl. In 1990, he was arrested for a DUI with a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit.” In other words, Jack Trudeau has quite the history of legal offenses related to alcohol.
I definitely would not want to be on any road in which Trudeau might be driving.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram