Mack

        Bengals player Tremain Mack went to court again Tuesday because of yet another bad decision he made while driving a car. This time, he left the courtroom in handcuffs.

        The 26-year-old kick return specialist was sentenced to one year in jail for violating probation from a prior drunken driving offense.

        The 6-foot, 193-pound player, who made more than $250,000 during the 2000 season, was accused of breaking the rules by driving to football practice without a driver's license.

        “You made a bad decision,” Judge Ralph E. Winkler told Mr. Mack in Hamilton County Municipal Court on Tuesday. “So you have to pay the consequences.”

        Judge Winkler agreed to review the sentence on Feb. 7, at which time Mack could be freed from jail or receive a reduced sentence.

        Mack's agent, David Levine, said he hopes the player will be released from jail next month.

        “Hopefully none of this will interfere with the (2001) season,” Levine said.

        NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said it is too early to speculate whether the league will take additional action.

        The one-year sentence was originally ordered in 1998 when Mack was convicted of DUI and driving without a license. He did not serve any of that sentence because the judge opted for probation instead of jail time.

        Mack also has been arrested on DUI charges in Clermont County and in Texas.

        He violated his probation in the Cincinnati case when he was caught driving on camera by WLWT-TV (Channel 5) in November. His license had been suspended as part of his probation.

        Bengals officials would not say what, if any, effect the jail sentence would have on Mack's status with the team. If he is required to serve the entire year of his sentence, he would miss the 2001 season.

        Mack went to the Pro Bowl in 1999 and set a team record that year by averaging 27.1 yards per kickoff return.

        “He has to pay a debt to society, and we hope he can get beyond this and put it behind him for good,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a written statement.

        At the hearing Tuesday, the judge noted that Mack had otherwise done well on his probation. He said he had completed court-ordered community service, attended alcohol treatment sessions and kept in touch with his probation officer.

        The judge called Mack “an ideal probationer.”

        Mack did not comment, but his attorney said the player drove only when the taxi service he hired did not show up in time to take him to football practice.

        “The guy has done very well on his probation,” said the attorney, Perry Ancona.

        Mack's violation came to light when Channel 5 aired tape of him driving to a practice.

        The following Sunday, after a loss at New England, some players reacted angrily when Channel 5's George Vogel entered the team's locker room, and refused to grant him interviews. Linebacker Takeo Spikes and defensive tackle Oliver Gibson were the most critical of the report.

        “They're frozen out completely,” Spikes told the Enquirer at the time. “They'll never get another word from me.”

        While Channel 5 continued to cover the Bengals, Vogel told the Enquirer he didn't attempt individual interviews for weeks afterward, on the advice of several unnamed Bengals.

        Channel 5 news director Ken Jobe was not available for comment Tuesday night.

        On Tuesday, speaking to a Bengals employee for a report on the team's Web site, Spikes said, “In no way are the Bengals or Takeo Spikes defending what he did. He has to pay for his mistake and he made a mistake. It's just sad.”

        But Spikes also said, “What's really sad is he's been clean for a year and a half and now he's got to go to jail.”

        Gibson also said on the Bengals' Web site he knew the judge had to do what he had to do.

        “I understand that. He has to pay for his mistake,” Mr. Gibson said. “As a teammate and a friend, I hope there is a favorable review because he's been clean for so long and he's working through his problems and hopefully he can get on with his life.

        “For me, personally, it's a travesty what Channel 5 did,” he said.

        Mack has played four years with the Bengals and has been suspended three times for alcohol-related violations. The 2000 season was the first in which he played all 16 games.

Mack hopes for reduced jail term

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