Jeff Hardy DUI Arrest Last Straw For AEW Head Tony Khan

This past weekend, Jeff Hardy was pulled over in Volusia County, Florida after a number of 911 calls about his car swerving dangerously. Police approached the car with drawn weapons and pulled Hardy from the car. After getting Hardy to a less crowded parking lot, the police put Hardy through field sobriety tests, all of which he failed. He was arrested for DUI and 2 other misdemeanors. He apparently told arresting officers that he had taken a number of Fireball shots before getting in the car.

In the aftermath of the arrest, the head of AEW, President and CEO Tony Khan announced that Khan would be suspended without pay until he completed treatment for his substance abuse. He released this statement.

This is not the first time Khan's issues have surfaced, nor is AEW the first wrestling federation to deal with his issues. He started his professional wrestling career in 1994, wrestling for both the WWE and TNA. He and his brother Matt formed the tag team the Hardy Boyz, and became fan favorites quickly. Jeff was the king of high-flying acts showing no regard for his body. The Boyz won multiple championships through the years, and eventually stopped performing together in 2002.

Jeff Hardy makes his way to the ring during the WWE World Cup Quarterfinal match as part of as part of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on November 2, 2018. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Jeff began a singles career and quickly established himself as a fan favorite. His spectacular performances in the ring were matched by his struggles out of the ring with substance abuse. In 2009, he was arrested for possession of controlled substances and spent 10 days in jail. In 2019, he was arrested twice for drunken in public and DUI. By the 2021, despite his fame and fan following, the WWE released him after multiple events where the wrestler was unfit to wrestle.

In 2022, he joined the upstart AEW, and was hugely popular immediately. His substance abuse problems followed him. His arrest Monday found him with a blood alcohol level of 2.94 and 2.91. The Florida state limit is .08. This is his third DUI offense and in Florida, that is considered a third-degree felony according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.