National Football League

Chris Simms found not guilty of DUI

Published May. 4, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Tennessee Titans quarterback Chris Simms -- the son of Giants legend Phil Simms -- was found not guilty Wednesday of DUI.

Deliberations began Wednesday morning at Manhattan Supreme Court, following closing arguments in which the hurler's lawyer condemned the case as a "rush to judgment."

Simms was arrested last July, at a DWI checkpoint in Manhattan, while driving his Mercedes SUV with his then eight-months-pregnant wife in the seat beside him and two friends in the back seat.

The sole prosecution witness -- arresting officer Francisco Acosta -- had testified Monday on the first day of the trial that Simms acted "like a zombie" that night, and reeked of pot.

"I was smoking marijuana in the car earlier -- I took four puffs," Acosta testified that Simms told him during the traffic stop.

The 30-year-old Simms insisted it was his friend in the back seat who had smoked pot earlier in the evening, filling the truck with the smell of marijuana.

Simms faced up to a year in jail and possible NFL repercussions if he had been convicted.