Bridges, who played for the Charlotte Hornets last season, was accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children in June.
Miles Bridges, who played for the Charlotte Hornets last season, pleaded no contest to one felony domestic violence charge of injuring a child’s parent, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday. He will be placed on three years’ probation but will avoid jail time as part of a plea agreement.
“We believe this resolution was the best avenue to hold Mr. Bridges accountable for his conduct,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “We also understand through the victim’s representatives that the victim wanted an expedited resolution of the case. The victim and her representatives were consulted about the proposed resolution and agreed with the outcome of the case.”
A lawyer for Bridges did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The charge stemmed from an incident in late June, when Bridges, 24, was accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children. Bridges was arrested on June 29 and released on $130,000 bond.
Days after Bridges’s arrest, Mychelle Johnson, a former college basketball player who has two children with Bridges, posted multiple photos on Instagram displaying apparent bruising and other marks on her body. She did not mention Bridges, and the post was later deleted.
Bridges faced multiple felony charges of domestic violence and child abuse, and prosecutors accused him of causing “great bodily injury on the domestic violence victim.” Prosecutors have not named the victims in the case.
“Domestic violence creates physical, mental and emotional trauma that has a lasting impact on survivors,” George Gascón, the Los Angeles County district attorney, said in a statement in July. “Children who witness family violence are especially vulnerable and the impact on them is immeasurable. Mr. Bridges will be held accountable for his actions and our Bureau of Victim Services will support the survivors through this difficult process.”
In addition to probation, Bridges was ordered to undergo a year of domestic violence counseling and, separately, parenting classes and to provide 100 hours of community service. The sentence also includes a 10-year restraining order for the domestic violence victim, weekly drug tests, and restitution for the victim that will be determined at a hearing in January, according to the district attorney’s office.
Bridges had spent the past four years in the N.B.A. with the Hornets. His arrest came one day before the start of the free agency period, when he was projected to be signed to a maximum contract worth around $173 million, according to multiple news media reports. Bridges, currently unsigned, had been a restricted free agent, meaning the Hornets had the right to match other teams’ offers for Bridges. The Hornets gave Bridges a qualifying offer before his arrest, but he has not accepted it. It is not clear whether the team still plans to sign him; the Hornets did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Bridges’s contract status, but they released a statement.
“We are aware of today’s developments regarding Miles Bridges’s legal situation,” the team said in a statement. “We will continue to gather information before determining any potential next steps. Until then, we will have no additional comments.”
Under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, Commissioner Adam Silver is able to place a player on administrative leave while the league investigates domestic violence accusations. If the league determines that the domestic violence policy has been violated, the N.B.A. may “fine, suspend, or dismiss and disqualify” a player, according to the agreement.
The N.B.A. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source: Basketball - nytimes.com
