Watch CBS News

911 Caller Said Nate Burleson Appeared 'Messed Up' After Crash, He Denies It

FARMINGTON HILLS (WWJ) The cops quickly exonerated him of any drunken wrongdoing, but a 911 caller following Nate Burleson's 2:25 a.m. one-car crash on I-696 last Tuesday questioned his sobriety.

"It looks like a car spun out and hit the median," one caller says on the 911 tape obtained by TMZ, describing the vehicle against the left side median.

Another caller reported the car was halfway into the roadway and the driver "was walking up to me, losing his balance and stuff."

"Whether or not he's intoxicated, I don't know, but ..." the caller added, answering "yes" when the dispatcher asked if he looked disoriented.

"He's walking around, but he looks pretty messed up," the caller reported. See Burleson in the moments after the crash here.

Burleson broke his arm in two places in the crash, and later said he learned a tough lesson about distracted driving, saying he crashed when he reached for a pizza box falling on his passenger seat. He'd been out at a local pizza joint with teammates watching "Monday Night Football," many said, and Burleson has adamantly denied he was drinking. He was not issued a Breathalyzer or ticketed for the incident, police said.

Burleson called TMZ after the 911 tapes were revealed to underscore that the caller was mistaken and he wasn't drinking.

"My arm was broken so that may cause you to stumble, but it was not alcohol-related at all," Burleson told TMZ.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.