Ira Lee apologizes for DUI: ‘I am deeply sorry and I’m looking forward to getting back on track’

The Arizona forward released a statement Thursday addressing the incident

Arizona Wildcats forward Ira Lee was cited for a super extreme DUI over the weekend. As the UA reviews the incident and determines what consequences Lee will face, he released a statement Thursday on Twitter addressing the incident.

Here it is in its entirety:

“I would like to start out by saying I am deeply sorry to the City of Tucson, my family, and the U of A. I was completely out of character on Saturday evening and it is a regret I will have to live with for the rest of my life. That being said, what was failed to be addressed publicly is the fact that I lost my grandmother the day before the incident due to suicide. Before all of these events I was already emotionally unstable and dealing with different personal issues.

“The only person I can blame is myself because I knew how unstable I was and instead of seeking help I turned to drinking which led to a terrible mistake. For the time being I will be focusing on getting back to the happy state I was once in and eventually deal with whatever consequences that come my way. I advise anyone that is going through something or dealing with something deep down inside to talk to someone because self-harm is not the answer and it can lead to harming others unintentionally. Once again I am deeply sorry and I’m looking forward to getting back on track.

“P.S. I was never arrested and sent to jail for those that keep asking [laughing emoji].”

The 6-foot-7 Lee appeared in 27 games for the Wildcats last season as a freshman, averaging 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds. This is an important offseason for him as he is expected to take on a much larger role with Arizona having to replace its entire starting lineup.

While Lee’s fall semester has gotten off to a rocky start, hopefully he can turn things around and get back to the “happy state” he was referring to — and not just for basketball reasons.

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