AP

Seattle Seahawks' Lofa Tatupu reacts after sacking Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick in the second quarter Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005, in Seattle.

SEATTLE -- Lofa Tatupu, a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker and the defensive leader for the Seattle Seahawks was arrested in Kirkland early Saturday for investigation of drunken driving.

An arrest report indicates he had breath tests of .155 and .158, which is nearly twice the legal limit in Washington state.

The arresting Kirkland police officer wrote that he saw a Hyundai driven by Tatupu speeding and changing lanes without signaling. When the officer caught up with him at a McDonald's drive-thru off 124th Street in Kirkland, he smelled alcohol, but Tatupu said he had not been drinking. The officer wrote that Tatupu's eyes were watery and bloodshot and that his speech was slurred.

After a series of field sobriety tests, the report says Tatupu refused a portable breath test. His car was impounded and Tatupu was taken to the police station where the breath test was conducted.

Four people had also been in the car with Tatupu, according to the report.

Tatupu released a statement Tuesday afternoon, apologizing to fans, his family and his teammates.

"I take seriously my role as a leader on this team, and in the community, and because of that I'm disappointed and embarrassed by the level of poor judgment I used last weekend. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. This will never happen again, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again," wrote Tatupu.

Fans lashed out on sports radio KJR in Seattle.

"Lofa Tatupu, you're a leader. Is your drinking and driving recklessly more important than the lives of others?" said one caller.

"He needs to get slapped around," said another. "Holmgren needs to set him straight. They need to clean up this mess.

KJR host Ian Furness was among those who wanted to cut Tatupu some slack.

"With Lofa Tatupu, this isn't a pattern of behavior. This is not something that has happened before that we know of," said Furness.

Tatupu signed a six-year contract extension in March, keeping him in a Seahawks uniform through 2015. The contract will pay him $42 million, including $18 million guaranteed. It includes the final two years on his original contract for the second-round selection in 2005 out of Southern California, plus six additional years that keeps Tatupu out of free agency.

"I don’t want to be anywhere else. I'm more than happy here," Tatupu said after the extension was signed.

Tatupu, the sixth linebacker taken in '05 because he was supposedly too short and too slow, this past season became the second player in Seahawks' history to be named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three years.

Officials from the National Football League say the penalty for a first alcohol offense without any aggravating circumstances is one half of one game check – a maximum of $20,000. If there is a second DUI offense, then there would likely be a suspension.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)