The Twins announced yesterday afternoon that pitching coach Neil Allen has been suspended indefinitely with pay after being arrested Thursday and charged with driving while impaired.
According to the incident report, three officers for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office stopped Allen for visually impaired driving at 1:59 a.m. Thursday. The stop took place in downtown Minneapolis at 6th Street South and Park Avenue.
Allen refused a field sobriety test after being stopped in his 2009 Infiniti QX56 and was arrested for third-degree driving while impaired. He was taken into custody at 3:48 a.m. Thursday and released without bail at 10:32 a.m., pending a complaint.
Eric Rasmussen, in his eighth season as minor league pitching coordinator for the Twins, was named interim pitching coach.
STATEMENT REGARDING PITCHING COACH NEIL ALLEN
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Twins issued the following statement on today’s arrest of Pitching Coach Neil Allen:
“The Minnesota Twins are aware of the pending DWI charge against Pitching Coach Neil Allen. Mr. Allen has been suspended, with pay, indefinitely and the matter will be handled in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club.”
In addition, Twins have named Eric Rasmussen interim Pitching Coach. Rasmussen has spent the last eight-plus seasons as the Twins Minor League Pitching Coordinator.
There will be no further comment at this time.
UPDATE: Neil Allen was reinstated as the Twins pitching coach on Thursday July 7th as the Twins prepared to open a series in Texas against the Rangers. According to Allen, the Twins “probably saved my life” because the team rather than firing him signed him up for a six-week outpatient treatment program at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Allen said that before May 26th he had not had a drink in 22 years. Legal charges against Allen are still pending.