Lions president’s 0.21 blood-alcohol level leads to review under NFL personal conduct policy

Lions prez subject to NFL personal conduct policy

DETROIT — The NFL will review the conduct of Detroit Lions president Tom Lewand, who was cited over the weekend for drunken driving after telling authorities he was a designated driver picking up a friend before a test showed his blood-alcohol level was twice Michigan’s legal limit.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday he was concerned about Lewand as he noted the review.

“As I’ve said before, this isn’t a player policy, it’s a personal conduct policy,” Goodell told reporters at the league’s rookie symposium in California. “It goes for everybody in the NFL.”

Lewand was arrested late Friday after his Lincoln sport utility vehicle was seen crossing from one lane to another after leaving a bar’s parking lot. He was issued a citation in Denton Township, Mich., about 150 miles northwest of Detroit.

After initially refusing to have his blood-alcohol level tested for the first of several times, according to the report, Lewand agreed to do it 30 minutes later and registered a 0.21 reading and .20 a few minutes later, according to a Roscommon County sheriff’s department report.

Lewand failed a sobriety test, struggling to walk heel to toe as requested and touching his upper lip instead of his nose, according to the report.

Lewand said in a statement Saturday night that he is “deeply sorry” for his actions. Without providing details, Lewand said he’s “a person in active recovery” and “committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”

Prompted partly by Ben Roethlisberger’s off-the-field news, Goodell sent a memo earlier this year to NFL owners, executives and head coaches emphasizing the importance of the league’s personal conduct policy.

“Our policies apply to everyone — yours truly, club presidents, players, coaches — everybody involved with the NFL,” Goodell told the NFL Network. “I think Tom recognizes that. Of course I will speak to him at some point in the near future and we’ll be gathering the facts. But everybody is accountable and responsible.”

Lions owner William Clay Ford said Lewand made a “serious mistake,” that he “appropriately owned up to,” and pledged his support as Lewand seeks help for his problem.

Lewand was promoted to team president after the 2008 season, moving to the top of the front office after spending more than a decade developing trust as the person within the organization who has negotiated player contracts worth more than $1 billion and guided the construction of Ford Field.

He has three degrees from the University of Michigan, including one from both the law and business schools. Lewand, of Royal Oak, Mich., and his wife have four daughters.