KANSAS CITY -- The attorney for Royals left-hander Danny Duffy entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf Friday morning to a charge of driving under the influence.
In a municipal court in the suburb of Overland Park, Kan., attorney Steven Sakoulas entered the plea for Duffy, who was not in attendance. The next scheduled court date in the case is Dec. 1.
Duffy was cited for DUI on Aug. 27 outside an Overland Park fast-food restaurant. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance Sept. 19 but received a continuance until after the season.
Duffy, 28, was not with the team when he was cited for DUI, having returned early to Kansas City from a road trip in Cleveland to have an MRI on his elbow. He subsequently was placed on the disabled list with a low-grade pronator strain.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore and Duffy held a joint news conference a day after the DUI became public knowledge. At the time, Duffy apologized for the distraction the incident had caused the team.
"He's hurting, but honestly, I'm glad he's hurting," Moore said then. "He needs to hurt. He needs to feel shame. And he can never ever forget what he's experiencing, because it's real and it's life-changing, and hopefully it never happens again.
"These guys, they're human beings. They make mistakes. And for us to put our faith in a person or an athlete as a perfect vessel, someone who's always going to make the right choices, it's just, it's a failed way to live your life. And Danny obviously regrets the situation."