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It was meant to be a big night on the town with the boys as Willie Lose celebrated his 40th birthday - but the festivities ended at a police checkpoint.
Lose - a former rugby player turned radio announcer - was caught driving with more than double the legal breath alcohol limit.
Lose's lawyer, Stephen Bonnar, told the Auckland District Court last week that it was a first time misdemeanor for his client - a former North Harbour and Tongan international rugby player.
He asked the judge to give Lose credit for pleading guilty at the first available opportunity. Bonnar claimed his star client was "extremely remorseful" and "expressed sorrow", adding he had "let his family and sponsors down".
The judge fined Lose $650 and ordered him to pay court costs of $130. He was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver's license for six months.
Lose initially agreed to talk to the Herald on Sunday about his conviction, saying it would be "a good idea to get it out".
But he later changed his mind and referred enquiries to his boss at The Radio Network.
General manager of Newstalk ZB and Radio Sport, Bill Francis, said Lose had faced up to the consequences of drink driving "and realises the seriousness". "We have counselled Willie on the matter," Francis said of his rising star, the host of the weekday Radio Sport slot, The Willie Lose Drive Show and the fill-in presenter of Murray Deaker's Sports Talk programme on Newstalk ZB. Deaker declined to comment on his colleague's behaviour.
Francis confirmed the talkback host would still be doing work for the network from next month's Rugby World Cup in France.
He is doing television work for the host broadcaster.
