By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards was released without bail after about 12 hours in custody following his arrest early Tuesday morning on drunk driving charges.
Edwards had tried to persuade police to let him leave the scene of his Chelsea traffic stop that resulted in DUI charges around 5 a.m., prosecutors said at his arraignment Tuesday afternoon.
"How 'bout I just leave the car and take a cab and go home?" Edwards, 27, had pleaded with the arresting officers, according to prosecutors.
Edwards and friends "were coming home from a party," at which the football star had "a couple of drinks," he told police, Assistant District Attorney Alyssa Gunther said.
But the intoxicated star had "watery and bloodshot eyes" and smelled of alcohol when he was stopped at the corner of West 34th Street and 12th Avenue for his tinted windows, police said.
"Why was I stopped for having tints if my driving didn't lead you to believe I was drunk driving?" Edwards allegedly asked police officer Armando Urbina.
According to prosecutors, Edwards repeatedly asked Urbina why he was not asked to perform a "field sobriety test" before the Breathalyzer.
"I thought I was supposed to get a field sobriety test first and then if I fail it I take [a breathalyzer]," Edwards said before blowing a .16 on the first blow of a series of three readings.
He also blew a .15 on the two following tests, nearly twice the blood alcohol legal limit of .08.
The 6-foot-3 NFL star was released on his own recognizance following his Manhattan Criminal Court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
After the brief court appearance, Edwards was surrounded by a throng of photographers as he shuffled into a black Cadillac Escalade parked outside the rear of the courthouse.
When asked by reporters what he would say to his fans, Edwards declined to comment.
"Not right now, there will be plenty of time to talk," he said quietly.
The star, who was also arrested in January on an assault charge in Cleveland, was headed from court directly to the Jets team headquarters in Long Island to meet with team officials, his lawyer Peter Frankel said.
Frankel said his client "understands the seriousness of the situation" and is "eager" to getting back to the team and focusing on football.
He is scheduled to reappear in court on Nov. 9. The team and the NFL have not yet determined a possible punishment.
