Jets LB Dylan Donahue arrested on DWI and reckless driving charges

ByRich Cimini ESPN logo
Monday, February 26, 2018

New York Jets linebacker Dylan Donahue was arrested and charged with DWI and reckless driving after going the wrong way through the Lincoln Tunnel and crashing head-on into a jitney bus early Monday morning, according to Port Authority Police in New York/New Jersey.

Donahue, 25, failed a breathalyzer and a sobriety test at the scene, according to the police report. He didn't require medical attention, the report said, but four of the 15 passengers on the bus were transported to Hoboken Hospital with minor injuries.

"We are aware of the situation," a Jets spokesman said. "This is a pending legal matter and we will have no further comment."

Donahue, a fifth-round draft pick in 2017, was traveling eastbound into Manhattan at about 2 a.m. ET. A Port Authority officer saw a Dodge Charger, driven by Donahue, go around traffic cones and into the center tube of the tunnel against traffic. At that time, traffic was going westbound toward New Jersey.

Donahue is subject to NFL discipline under the league's substance-abuse policy.

The passenger in Donahue's car, Suleiman Mahmood, 21, was charged with disorderly conduct.

Donahue was the second Jets player arrested this offseason. Wide receiver Robby Anderson was arrested last month in South Florida on nine charges, including speeding, reckless driving and threatening to harm a police officer's family member -- a felony.

Donahue played in only four games last season after suffering a season-ending elbow injury in a Week 4 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished his rookie year with four tackles. The Jets are counting on him to be a core special teamer and perhaps contribute as a situational pass-rusher.

The son of former NFL linebacker Mitch Donahue, he took a circuitous route to the NFL. He played at an NAIA school and a junior college before landing at the University of West Georgia, a Division II school.

Recounting his journey after the draft, Donahue said he drank too much in high school, resulting in bad grades.