ALBANY COUNTY — Dion Lewis, on Feb. 10, pleaded guilty in Guilderland Town Court to driving while ability impaired.

Lewis, 31, had been arrested on Dec. 19 for first-offense driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and for several infractions: improper right turn, illegal signal, and refusal to take a breath test.

An Albany native who played 10 seasons in the National Football League, Lewis was introduced last November by Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy, a Democrat, as the county’s Community Health and Wellness Development coordinator, a new position created by the county legislature.

His job is to act as an ambassador to the Black community, getting residents involved in county programs.

McCoy said that, as the county coped with the coronavirus, he learned that some people are skeptical of government.

“We need trust,” McCoy said in November, asking, “Who is more credible than Dion Lewis?”

In 2020, Lewis had served as a spokesman for an Albany County program to help youth stay safe in the midst of the pandemic.

Asked about Lewis’s job status and his future with the county following his guilty plea on Thursday, Mary Rozak, spokeswoman for McCoy, said in an email on Friday afternoon, “Dion Lewis remains an Albany County employee. Discussions are underway regarding his role and responsibilities.”

Frank Mauriello, Republican leader of the Albany County Legislature, said, “Though Mr. Lewis did ultimately plead guilty, he must be held accountable for his serious offense, especially given the nature of his county position.”

On Dec. 19, just after midnight, Lewis was stopped by Guilderland Police after his white Audi made “an improper right turn,” leaving the Northway for Route 20, according to the arrest report.

Lewis then made an “unsteady turn” from Western Avenue to Church Road, the report says, while accelerating to beat a changing traffic light.

The report describes events unfolding this way: Lewis said he and his passenger were driving home from Wolff’s Biergarten in Troy and that only the passenger had been drinking. Lewis failed sobriety tests of reciting the alphabet, numbers countdown, and finger count.

He showed signs of intoxication and, out of the car, failed field sobriety tests on walking and turning and on standing on one leg. Lewis refused a breath test and, after being read his Miranda rights, invoked his right to remain silent.

He would not speak to give the required permission to release his car to a third party, like a family member, so it was towed by Ketchum’s Towing. Lewis’s mother picked up the passenger at the scene.

At the police station, Lewis “became agitated and vulgar,” refusing to supply required information. After consulting with his lawyer, he agreed to take a chemical breath test. The test was administered at 1:22 a.m., but Lewis would not blow air into the tube, the arrest report said.

On Thursday night, after Lewis pleaded guilty in court, he was fined $300 and required to attend a victims’ impact panel.

At the November press conference where McCoy had announced Lewis’s new post, Lewis said, “I’m nobody special …. I just happened to get a little lucky.”

Lewis said he was “raised by great parents in a great city” and was schooled at Albany High and Albany Academy.

He went on to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010. He then played for the New England Patriots, winning Super Bowl LI in 2017. He also played for the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants.

Lewis spoke at the November press conference about how a lot of the gun violence in Albany is from young kids. His goal, he said, is to give them hope.

“If I can do it, anybody can do it,” said Lewis of succeeding in life.

Everybody gets caught up in bad things, Lewis said, but the important part is to learn from it, not to repeat the mistakes.