Alphonse Taylor showed no alcohol intake during arrest

Alabama offensive lineman Alphonse Taylor, who was arrested on July 17 for driving under the influence, did not register any alcohol in his system during the time of the arrest, according to court documents.

Taylor, who is currently suspended indefinitely from the team, was arrested at the Woodlands Apartment complex off Hargrove Road East in Tuscaloosa. Ala., after his vehicle struck another vehicle in the parking lot. He then registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.00 during a breath test taken within 30 minutes of the accident, according to the arrest report obtained by multiple media outlets through a records request.

The report also states that Taylor, 22, called to report the accident at 8:50 a.m. He was shoeless and in a reclined position in his 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe when the officer arrived. Taylor notified the officer that he had hit his head during the accident.

“I immediately noticed that Taylor’s speech was very slow and he appeared lethargic,” the responding officer wrote in the arrest report. “Taylor advised that he had not been drinking, he did not take medication and had no medical problems.”

Taylor’s attorney, Jason Ness, said he believes his client’s head injury could have contributed to some of his behavior at the scene.

“The blood alcohol was 0.0, and there are no other indicators of alcohol or drugs,” Ness said Friday. “He did hit his head on the steering wheel during the accident, so whether or not that cause the behavior the officer observed, who knows?”

According to the report, Taylor was subjected to field sobriety tests, including walking tests in which he lost his balance.

“While I was speaking with him, I observed him drop his phone on the ground between his feet,” the officer wrote in the report. “Taylor struggled and swayed to retrieve his phone.”

Ness said Taylor did see a doctor after the incident but does not have Taylor’s medical records back yet.

Despite not having any alcohol in his system, Taylor is still subject to being charged with a DUI.

“It impacts (the case) heavily, but he was charged under a statute that doesn’t necessarily designate alcohol, so we still have an uphill climb ahead of us,” Neff said. “We’ll work with the city to make sure we get all the discovery together, and then be able to evaluate it in the next few weeks.”

Taylor is scheduled for an initial court hearing today at 1:30 p.m. However, Ness said he expects the court to move the hearing to a future date.

Taylor started every game for the Crimson Tide at right guard last season but worked with the team’s second unit this spring due to coming into camp overweight. He was named to the preseason All-SEC second team by the media at SEC Media Days.

Alabama reports to fall practice Wednesday and will open its season on Sept. 3 against Southern California at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

This story was originally published July 31, 2016 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Alphonse Taylor showed no alcohol intake during arrest."