Veteran NFL running back Miles Sanders is facing criminal charges in Pennsylvania after police allegedly found him slumped over behind the wheel of an SUV stopped in the middle of a highway early in the morning.
Sanders, currently an NFL free agent, has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance and careless driving stemming from a June 8 incident in Churchill Borough, Pennsylvania.
According to the criminal complaint, Churchill Borough police responded at approximately 4:30 a.m. to reports of a vehicle sitting motionless in the middle of William Penn Highway near Beulah Road, roughly 10 miles outside Pittsburgh.
When officers arrived, they reportedly discovered Sanders sitting in the driver’s seat of a silver Lexus SUV and slumped over. Police said they needed multiple attempts to wake him.
The complaint alleges that Sanders appeared to drift in and out of consciousness and was “extremely lethargic.” He was also allegedly unable or unwilling to answer questions from officers.
After Sanders got out of the vehicle, police reportedly noticed that his eyes appeared glassy or glossy and said they detected the smell of alcohol on his breath. Sanders acknowledged that he had consumed alcohol earlier that day, according to the complaint.
Officers then conducted standardized field sobriety tests. Police allege Sanders displayed multiple indicators of impairment during those tests.
He was subsequently taken into custody.
The situation did not end there. Police searching Sanders’ vehicle allegedly discovered a sealed package containing suspected marijuana.
A misdemeanor DUI charge and a summary careless-driving charge were eventually filed by summons during the week before news of the case became public. Reports regarding Sanders’ preliminary hearing have differed, with some court-record references listing Sept. 23 and others listing Oct. 28.
Sanders’ attorney, Phil DiLucente, made clear that the case remains in its early stages.
“This is a private matter that has not even reached the preliminary hearing stage and there will be no further comment,” DiLucente said.
That is an important distinction. Sanders has been charged, not convicted, and the allegations against him will have to proceed through the legal system like any other criminal case.
Still, the circumstances described by police are serious. A vehicle allegedly stopped in the middle of a highway at 4:30 in the morning with an apparently impaired driver behind the wheel is not some harmless celebrity mishap. Roads are shared by families, commuters, truck drivers and emergency personnel. If somebody is impaired, handing the keys to someone else or calling for a ride is considerably cheaper than an attorney, and infinitely better than somebody getting killed.
The case is especially notable in western Pennsylvania, where Sanders has deep roots.
He grew up in Penn Hills and attended Woodland Hills High School, developing into one of the country’s most highly recruited running backs. Sanders stayed in Pennsylvania for college, playing at Penn State from 2016 through 2018.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons in Philadelphia before joining the Carolina Panthers. Sanders later appeared in four games for the Dallas Cowboys during the 2025 season before knee and ankle injuries ended his year.
He is now a free agent, meaning the timing of a DUI case is hardly helpful for a veteran attempting to continue his NFL career.
Sanders will have his opportunity to answer the allegations in court. Until then, the charges remain allegations, and his guilt or innocence will be determined through the legal process, not through headlines or social media speculation.
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