Cardinals COO Ron Minegar Suspended, Fined Following DUI Arrest

Cardinals COO Ron Minegar was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Aug. 10 in Arizona.

The Cardinals suspended executive vice president and chief operating officer Ron Minegar for six weeks without pay, according to The Arizona Republic.

The newspaper confirmed Minegar's suspension with the team, who said he's been fined $200,000 following his DUI arrest earlier this month. According to Chandler, Ariz. police, Minegar was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Aug. 10 around 11:30 p.m. PT for speeding, failure to drive within one lane of traffic and driving within the bicycle lane.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Minegar served two days in jail before being released.

TheRepublic confirmed that he has been away from the team since his arrest and cannot take part in business operations or attend team functions.

"Minegar, who has been away from the team since the August 10th incident, will not be able to return until he has completed several additional steps," the Cardinals said in a statement to the newspaper. "These include but are not limited to an alcohol assessment, counseling and mandatory DUI education as well as community service."

Minegar's $200,000 fine will be donated to the Arizona chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The team plans to work with MADD to provide mandatory DUI awareness training to every Cardinals employee.

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told The Republic in an email that Minegar will not face any additional discipline from the league.

"This serious matter was handled appropriately by the club," said McCarthy. "There will be no additional discipline from the league provided he complies with the requirements set forth by the club."

Minegar, who has worked for the Cardinals since 2000, also released a statement to The Republic.

"I understand that there are no words that will make up for the extraordinarily reckless and dangerous decision I made to drive a vehicle after drinking," he said. "That said, I sincerely and deeply apologize to the people close to me—both personally and professionally—for what they’ve had to endure because of this. I also recognize that for those whose lives have been impacted by a drunk driver, my actions may have stirred painful emotions and to them I apologize as well. I take total responsibility for my actions. I know better and I am embarrassed that I did not do better. Right now, I am fully committed to taking all steps to ensure it will not ever happen again. In the future, I recognize that it will be my actions, not my words, that will ultimately be judged."