Tony La Russa Pleads Guilty to Multiple Charges from February DUI Arrest

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving in relation to his DUI arrest in Phoenix earlier this year.

According to James Fegan of The Athletic, the guilty plea is part of a deal with the Maricopa County Justice Court that allows La Russa to avoid pleading guilty to driving under the influence.

Fegan noted that the plea comes with a one-day jail sentence, although the state is "not opposed" to work release or home detention instead if a judge approves it.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Paula Lavigne and Charlie Moynihan, La Russa was arrested in February after a traffic stop.

According to court documents, La Russa was approached by police after allegedly hitting a curb with his vehicle and told the officers he was departing a dinner with members of the Los Angeles Angels organization. La Russa was an adviser for the Angels at the time.

Police said La Russa was "argumentative" and refused to take a breath test or submit a blood sample. After a warrant was obtained, La Russa submitted a sample, and it returned a blood-alcohol content of .093 percent, which is above the legal limit of .08 percent.

It marked La Russa's second DUI arrest, as he was previously arrested on those grounds in 2007 when he was manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The White Sox said they were aware of La Russa's February DUI arrest when they hired him as their new manager to replace Rick Renteria in October.

La Russa's hiring raised some eyebrows since the 76-year-old had not managed since retiring from the position with the Cardinals in 2011.

Since then, La Russa has served in a front office and advisory role for multiple teams, although it seemed unlikely that he would ever manage again.

In La Russa, the White Sox hired a Baseball Hall of Famer with three World Series titles, six World Series appearances, 2,728 regular-season wins and four Manager of the Year Awards to his credit.

La Russa will take the reins of a White Sox team that went 35-25 in the COVID-shortened season of 2020 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2008.