Chicago Bears legend Dan Hampton was ordered to spend a year on probation for a drunk driving charge in Indiana, according to a report.
Hampton, a former defensive lineman and key piece in the Bears’ Super Bowl run in 1985, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated on Dec. 21, the Post-Tribune reported Tuesday.
As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped other pending misdemeanor charges. In addition to one year of probation, the 64-year-old Pro Football Hall of Famer must attend a court-ordered substance abuse program, complete a defensive driving course and has reducing driving privileges.
“Mr. Hampton deeply regrets the decision that he made on that particular evening, but he’s accepted responsibility for his actions and he’s looking forward to successfully completing all the terms of his probation,” his attorney, Matt Fech, told the newspaper Monday.
Dan Hampton was ordered to spend a year on probation. Lake County Jail)Hampton, of Winfield, Indiana, had an open 128-ounce jug of red wine in his truck when he was stopped by police there on Nov. 20. He had a blood-alcohol level of .189 — more than double the state’s legal limit, court documents show.
“That’s really high,” Hampton told an officer before he was taken to jail.
The four-time Pro Bowler nicknamed “Danimal” for his ferocious play was later charged with three misdemeanor drunken driving charges. He was later released from custody after posting $2,500 bond.
Dan Hampton had an open 128-ounce jug of Carlo Rossi red wine in his truck. AP Photo/Ron SchwaneHampton, who had been three miles away from his home when he was stopped by cops, was allegedly driving his black Chevrolet truck 68 mph in a 40-mph zone. He had faced up to a year in jail and fines as much as $5,000, the Post-Tribune previously reported.
Court documents show Hampton told cops he had five beers at a friend’s house, but an officer then found the large jug of Carlo Rossi wine in his truck.
Hampton then searched for his driver’s license for roughly two minutes before giving an officer his Illinois firearm owner’s ID card, telling the cop that “should do,” according to records cited by the Times of Northwest Indiana.
In 2002, Hampton was arrested for drunken driving in Arkansas, just days before being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was later sentenced to one week in jail, CNN reported.
The former Bears standout played in Chicago from 1979 through 1990 and now hosts a postgame radio show on Chicago’s WGN-AM. Hampton had also been arrested for allegedly driving drunk in 1996 and 1997, according to CNN.







