Hines Ward Arrested, Charged With DUI (Update: Ward Denies He Was Drunk)

Update:

Hines Ward, who was pulled over and booked last night in DeKalb County, Georgia for a DUI, is disputing the fact that he was impaired by alcohol at the time. Ward's representatives released a statement to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette today, saying:

“On July 9th Hines Ward was stopped by Dekalb Co. police for suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence. He cooperated fully with the police and truthfully answered all of their questions,” the statement reads.  ”We are currently in the process of ascertaining all the facts.

“From our preliminary investigation we can tell you that we are confident that the facts will show that Hines was NOT impaired by alcohol while driving. However, Hines is deeply saddened by this incident and apologizes to his fans and the Steelers organization for this distraction.”

Original Story:

Four-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champ, one-time "Dancing with the Stars" winner, and now an alleged drunk driver.

In a year where everything has pretty much gone right for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, things took a bad turn last night.

According to the AP, Ward was arrested and charged in Dekalb County, Georgia (just outside of Atlanta) with driving under the influence. The Dekalb County Sheriff's Office said he was released on $1,300 bond.

After making it to the Super Bowl earlier this year (and losing it to Green Bay), Ward clinched the "Dancing With the Stars" championship with partner Kym Johnson back in May during the Season 12 finale.

It was the most popular season in the show's history, based largely on the charisma and appeal of Ward, and the team's remarkable ability to overcome adversity. Johnson was hospitalized May 13^th after being injured performing with Ward, but the couple came back for a dramatic victory.

This is the second time in recent months that Ward has had trouble with the police.

Back in May, Ward had a run-in with police while in the car late at night with a female friend.

That event later turned out to be a misunderstanding. LAPD were reportedly following the Honda Civic that Ward was a passenger in around 2 a.m. morning, and after a check of the license plate showed that the vehicle had been reported stolen, officers pulled the driver over.

With guns drawn, cops ordered the female driver and passenger out of the car and handcuffed them. The woman told police that she was, in fact, the person who had reported the car stolen after an incident with a parking attendant. She had recovered her vehicle, but never told police to call off the search.

While he escaped that incident unscathed, this one may take a little fancy footwork to avoid.

Ward's lawyer and the Steeler's reps have released no comments so far on Ward's alleged DUI.

Read more about how Hines Ward won "Dancing With the Stars."

Watch Hines Ward and Kym Johnson do the ChaCha on "Dancing with the Stars":