Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Steelers broadcaster Bill Hillgrove was charged with DUI, and the details are rather frightening.
As the Pittsburgh Steelers near Training Camp in the age of COVID-19, a member of their broadcast booth faces struggles of his own. Bill Hillgrove, who’s been announcing Steelers games on the radio since 1994, was arrested for DUI on Monday is nearby Murrysville, Pennsylvania.
Hillgrove is also a commentator for Pitt football and basketball, and grew his iconic voice next to the likes of Myron Cope, the inventor of the ‘Terrible Towel’, for years. On Monday, Hillgrove crashed his vehicle into a local grocery store in Murrysville and allegedly broke two windows in the process.
Steelers broadcaster Bill Hillgrove charged with DUI for incident late Monday.
The 80-year-old reportedly got back into his vehicle after filling out a prescription at the store, and drove home. After the police showed up at his residence, Hillgrove admitted to drinking prior to the accident, but only “a couple of beers.” When police gave him a breathalyzer test, Hillgrove registered at a .16 BAC, which is twice the legal limit.
Per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Hillgrove said a store employee told him incidents such as his happen quite frequently, despite the amount of damage his vehicle caused. Hillgrove also failed to leave his insurance information, citing the fact that he was driving a dealer vehicle.
Despite claiming that the vehicle lost control on its own, Hillgrove will face a day in court on August 11. The Steelers and University of Pittsburgh have declined comment, but Hillgrove will have to answer for the allegations against him, and perhaps even face discipline from his employer.
Hillgrove was picked by Art Rooney and the Steelers to succeed Jack Fleming in 1994, and has since won several awards and made his name as one of the most well-known and longest tenured NFL broadcasters.