According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, former No. 1 overall pick Matt Bush was released from prison Friday after serving a sentence in Charlotte County, Florida for severely injuring a 72-year-old man while driving drunk.
Originally drafted by the Padres, Bush was in spring training with the Rays in March of 2012 when he ran down Tony Tufano with an SUV and left the scene. His blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit at the time. Tufano, who was riding a motorcycle, nearly died from Bush’s actions, suffering a collapsed lung, brain hemorrhaging and several broken bones.
Bush was sentenced to 51 months in jail after accepting a no contest plea deal. His attorney, Russell Kirshy, said Bush recently completed a nine-month work release program.
“He had the right attitude,” Kirshy said. “My concern with him while he was in custody was he was very much about, ‘This is my pennance, and I’ve got to pay for it and make the best of it.'”
Bush, who turns 30 in February, is expected to move closer to his family in Southern California now that he’s out of prison. Any baseball angle to this story is irrelevant at this point, but hopefully he can turn his life around.
