"He is lucky that he didn't kill himself" - WWE veteran shares his honest thoughts on AEW star Jeff Hardy's arrest

Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell has commented on Jeff Hardy's DUI arrest that took place earlier this year.

The incident marked Hardy's third arrest in five years. The former WWE Superstar was arrested on three charges pertaining to driving under the influence. He was previously arrested twice in 2019 and once in 2018. Hardy had been found guilty of public intoxication and driving while impaired on separate occasions in the past.

Speaking on a recent episode of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the 72-year-old detailed just what a dangerous situation the Charismatic Enigma found himself in:

"The reason they [police] pulled guns, I found out later that he was going - they said he was literally flying, 90 miles an hour down the highway. And they pulled a gun out of protocol, because they don't know what he's running from, and if he's going that fast he must be hiding something. And they just pulled a gun just to protect themselves." (00:48 - 01:15)

Dutch further stated that Jeff Hardy was lucky to have not killed himself as he was several times over the legal blood alcohol limit:

"He is drunker than Cooter Brown. He can hardly stand up. He can hardly take one step in front of the other, and he registered a .294 or 295, which is three times, almost four times the legal limit that you can drive, I think in the United States, or in the state of Florida. [...] He is lucky that he didn't kill himself, but even luckier that he didn't kill some other people." (01:26 - 02:10)

Jeff Hardy was suspended from AEW following the arrest

AEW president Tony Khan released a statement addressing Jeff Hardy's status the day after the latter's arrest.

Here is what the statement read:

“We were able to resume contact with Jeff Hardy this afternoon. AEW does not condone Jeff’s alleged behavior. We’ve made it clear to Jeff that we’ll assist him in getting treatment for substance abuse issues, which he has indicated that he’s open to receiving. In the interim, he is suspended without pay, and he can only return to AEW upon successfully completing treatment and maintaining his sobriety. If you or a loved one needs help, please reach out to SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).”

Aside from the AEW President, Jeff's brother Matt Hardy was also disappointed with the incident. Do you agree with Tony Khan's reaction to the arrest? Sound off in the comments section below!

If you use any quotes from this article, please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.