Carolina Panthers wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who was arrested and charged with DWI last March, pleaded guilty to that charge on Monday in a Mecklenberg County courtroom. He was fined $420 and will perform 24 hours of community service. He also surrendered his driver's license to the court, so hopefully he'll find someone who can drive him to film sessions.To his credit, Jarrett said all the right things following this conviction:
"This is a thing that happened and you learn from your mistakes. ... You always have to take the right steps in everything you do. That's life in general. I took full responsibility for what happened."
Jarrett had a forgettable rookie season with the Panthers, which likely prompted the free agent signings of D.J. Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad. Is this guilty plea a sign that Jarrett is finally maturing and will own up to his mistakes on the field, too? It's a good sign, but it's just a starting point for him, really, if he wants to be the kind of receiver in the NFL that he was at USC.
