Riley Green Speaks Out on Sam Hunt’s DUI Arrest: ‘I Can’t Imagine His Lifestyle or His Life’
Riley Green is speaking out about Sam Hunt's DUI arrest, saying he feels sure that the country superstar will bounce back.
Talking to Brian and Chrissy from Albany's country radio station WGNA 107.7 on Friday morning (Nov. 22), Green recalls that he has known Hunt since they were playing shows together early in both of their careers, when neither one was well known.
"It's an awful thing, and of course, everyone makes mistakes," Green says, adding that when you reach Hunt's superstar status, "you're gonna get a lot more scrutiny than anyone else is. That just comes with the territory."
Nashville police arrested Hunt early Thursday morning (Nov. 21) after responding to reports of a car driving on the wrong side of the road and swerving in and out of lanes in east Nashville. Hunt attempted to give officers a credit card instead of his license after they pulled him over, and he reportedly failed multiple elements of a field sobriety test. According to authorities, his blood alcohol level was .173, more than double the legal limit of .08.
Hunt was released three hours later after posting a $2,500 bond. He's set to appear on court on Jan. 17, 2020. He has not commented publicly on his arrest. Local news station WKRN's cameras caught Hunt walking out of jail on Thursday morning after posting bond.
"He's a smart guy and a good dude," Green says of Hunt, adding that he's thankful nobody got injured.
"He'll bounce back from it," Green states, adding that it's going to be a "tough time."
Asked if this was a one-time mistake or part of a larger problem, Green demurred, saying, "I'm certainly not gonna try to Dr. Phil him." The "There Was This Girl" singer does compare and contrast the already significant pressures and time constraints of his own career with what someone at Hunt's level might be experiencing.
"I can't imagine his lifestyle or his life, for that matter," Green states. "There's a lot that probably goes into it behind the scenes that people really won't get just from the headline, you know."
Green has yet to reach out to Hunt, saying he prefers to let the furor from the incident die down first. "Like I said, I'm not concerned about him, 'cause he is a smart guy, and it'll be one of those things that'll eventually go away," he says.
Green is a 2019 Taste of Country RISER, and he recently told ToC that he and Hunt were closer before his friend shot to superstardom. These days, the men share the same tour manager.
Hunt recently released a new single, "Kinfolks," from his much-anticipated sophomore album. It's his first new music after taking more than a year off to work on the follow-up to his 2014 debut album, Montevallo.
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