Backup quarterback candidate Josh Portis was arrested May 5 on eastbound I-90 for driving while intoxicated, becoming the latest Seahawks player to be caught with a rules problem. The Seattle Times reported that he will be arraigned May 28 in Redmond and be charged with a gross misdemeanor.
The Washington State Patrol pulled over Portis at 9:26 p.m. after he was observed traveling 80 mph in the 60 mph zone through the Mount Baker Tunnel. The arresting officer noticed “a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle” and that the driver “had watery bloodshot eyes.”
Portis had two blood tests and registered blood alcohol concentration readings of .092 and .078. The legal limit is .080. He was charged with a gross misdemeanor.
Portis, a former third string QB, was re-signed by the Seahawks in April to compete with Brady Quinn and Jerrod Johnson to back up starter Russell Wilson. Portis spent all of the 2011 season on the Seattle roster, and spent 12 weeks last year on the practice squad before being released in November. He has yet to play in a regular-season game.
The Seahawks were hit last week with the news that DE Bruce Irvin violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy and would be suspended for the regular season’s first four games. He became the sixth Seahawks player to test positive for a banned substance since 2011.
