NFL Hall of Famer, sacks leader Bruce Smith faces drunken driving trial in Virginia

DUI trial set in Va. for ex-NFL star Bruce Smith

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Former NFL star Bruce Smith is set for trial on a drunken driving charge in Virginia Beach.

The trial is scheduled to begin Thursday. Smith was convicted in General District Court in July and given a 90-day suspended jail term, but he appealed to Circuit Court.

The 46-year-old Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August. In 2003, he ended a 19-year career with the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins as the NFL’s career all-time sacks leader. He played in 11 Pro Bowls.

Smith was charged after a traffic stop on Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach in May. It was his third DUI arrest. A 1997 conviction was later dismissed, and he was acquitted in another case in 2003.